Preview: Detroit at Illinois

[November 18, 2016]  Illinois continues its string of five straight games at home to start the season when it hosts Detroit on Friday night in a NIT Season Tip-Off preliminary tournament game. The Illini are perfect so far, showing a lot of firepower, especially in a 47-point win over McKendree in their last outing.

Senior guard Malcolm Hill leads the offensive charge, averaging 21.3 points, but three other Illini starters are averaging in double figures as well as one reserve. The interior duo of 6-10 forward Michael Finke (13 ppg, 8.7 rpg) and 6-10 center Maverick Morgan (14 ppg) gives coach John Groce versatility on the offensive end, while guard Jalen Coleman-Lands (10.7 ppg) is a sharpshooter off the bench, hitting 41.7 percent of his attempts beyond the arc. Illinois is also getting it done on the defensive end, holding opponents to 36.7 percent shooting overall, including 31.7 percent from 3-point range. The Titans come off a loss to East Tennessee State in which they allowed 107 points, so first-year coach Bacari Alexander is going to have to get his team together defensively or it could be a long night for Detroit.

TV: 8 p.m. ET. ESPN3

ABOUT DETROIT (1-1): As good as Josh McFolley was as a freshman -- and he was named to the Horizon League All-Freshman team -- he's showing even more to his offensive game as a sophomore. McFolley was a one-man gang in trying to help the Titans hang with East Tennessee State, scoring a career-high 25 points, including seven 3-pointers in the game, the most by a Titan since Jon Goode hit eight in January 2008. It's only two games into the season, but McFolley has nearly doubled his scoring average of a year ago (8.5 to 16.5) and is shooting 69.2 percent from 3-point range, giving the Titans quite an early boost.

ABOUT ILLINOIS (3-0): Yes, it was against a Division II foe, but the Illini's 112 points in a win over McKendree showed its future opponents that they'd better guard the 3-point line or risk getting shot out of a game. Illinois tied a school record with 16 3-pointers in the easy victory over the Bearcats, including four from point guard Tracy Abrams and three from Aaron Jordan. Teams that try to pack their defense in to stop Hill or the inside duo of Morgan and Finke are going to have to take their chances that the supporting cast doesn't get hot from long range.

TIP-INS

1. The 112 points scored by the Illini against McKendree were the second-highest point total under Groce, behind only 114 against Coppin State in November 2014.

2. Illinois' 28 assists against McKendree were the most by the team under Groce and the most since a 28-assist effort against Michigan in January 2002.

3. Coleman-Lands tied his career high with six 3-pointers against McKendree.

PREDICTION: Illinois 79, Detroit 68

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