Illinois 81, Auburn 79: Notebook

"It was a big deal since we didn't get accomplished what we wanted down in St. Louis. We did a good job," Chicagoan Nnanna Egwu said. "It was great. The Bulls are my favorite team, so playing on their court is special. To come back to Chicago and have all the Illini fans here was fun. It was good to play in front of them and it's a nice thing we get to do here every year."

All that first-year coach John Groce cares about is the result.

"I don't get caught up in what's happened in the past. I am glad for the seniors that were able to get their first one here because of how hard they work and how good of kids those guys are. That part's good," Groce said. "We love coming up here, I love it. We're blessed to have it. It's a great sports city. Our alumni are unbelievable; that's indicative today of the crowd. It's a big area for us recruiting. It's a special place, special city. We're lucky that it's so close to our campus. We enjoy coming up. Hopefully they'll continue to have us."

Marcus Jackson