The 6-foot-6, fourth-year junior did what he does. He ignited the crowd himself, going on a personal 10-0 run, sandwiching a pair of layups with two three-pointers to give No. 22 Illinois a lead it wouldn't relinquish in a 75-62 win against the Yellow Jackets in the Big Ten/ACC Challenge.

"I've got a lot of confidence in Joe," Groce said. "Joe always competes. He brings big-time energy. I never watch practice film and say Joe is not playing hard. He competed on the backboard and he was good in zone. Made plays on offense and ignited that 21-4 run."

Marcus Jackson