On Monday, as Illinois prepares to host Western Carolina Tuesday night, Groce confirmed that Illinois stayed in its zone for 19 possessions in that game, or about 25 percent (maybe more) of the game.

Best of all, he liked what he saw and although he wouldn't say where or when, he said fans can expect to see more zone in the future.

"It was good," he said of Illinois' proficiency in the zone. "It charted out well. We knew we were going to play it some during the game, but I didn't know we would play it that much.

"It was more of a feel thing, but it was pretty effective during the game and as we continued to chart it, we stayed with it."

Tupper