GAME NOTES: The undefeated Illinois Fighting Illini tangle with the Indiana State Sycamores on Thursday afternoon as part of the Las Vegas Invitational.

Illinois, which is playing its first game away from home today, opened the season with an 80-71 win over Georgia Southern, and then routed its next three opponents -- 114-56 over Coppin State, 107-66 versus Austin Peay, 89-68 against Brown.

Indiana State comes in sporting a 3-1 record, and it too has victories over Brown (78-66) and Austin Peay (61-57) on its resume'. The team's other win was in the season opener against IUPUI (79-66 OT), while its lone setback came against visiting Saint Louis (69-56).

This is only the second meeting between these two teams, with the first going to the Illini in a 93-59 home verdict on Dec. 8, 1989.

The winner of this contest will face the winner of the Baylor/Memphis matchup for the tournament title on Friday.

Illinois has set the bar tremendously high with respect to scoring, as the team is averaging an eye-popping 97.5 ppg thanks to the efforts of five double-digit scorers. The team is shooting 51.7 percent from the field, and 47.3 percent of its 3-point tries are finding the bottom of the net. Add to that the fact that the Illini have more made free throws (78) than the opposition has attempts (68), and a defensive effort that allows just a 36.9 percent success rate on field goal tries, 27.2 percent from distance, and it's no wonder the team is perfect to this point in the campaign. Rayvonte Rice (17.3 ppg, 7.5 rpg) paces the unit in scoring and rebounds, and he is shooting the lights out overall (.657), from 3-point range (.692) and the free-throw line (.778). Aaron Cosby (14.3 ppg), Malcolm Hill (12.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg), Ahmad Starks (11.3 ppg, 13 assists) and Leon Black (10.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg) round out the unit's double-digit scorers, and others could be joining them soon.

Illinois started out slowly in its recent win over Brown, shooting just 30.6 percent from the floor, and trailed 35-31 at the break as result. But from there, the Illini caught fire, hitting a sizzling 73.1 percent from the floor in overtaking the Bears and running away with the game. Cosby led the team with 18 points, Rice logged a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, and three others scored in double figures for a club that hit eight treys and only turned the ball over seven times.

Indiana State isn't anywhere near the offensive force, and that is evident when you realize the team is averaging nearly 30 ppg less than the Illini, and is shooting just 39.9 percent from the field, which includes a dreadful 24.6 percent showing from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Sycamores are yielding 64.5 ppg, with foes converting only 36.3 percent of their total shots, actually turning in a slightly better performance from downtown (.365). The team boasts two double-digit scorers in Khristian Smith (16.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg) and Devonte Brown (15.8 ppg, 6.3 rpg).

Jake Kitchell recorded the first double-double of his career with 11 points and 13 rebounds to help lead Indiana State to its recent win over Austin Peay. Tre Bennett was actually the team's high scorer with 14 points, the bulk of which he amassed at the free-throw line (12-of-14). Justin Gant chipped in with a dozen points for the Sycamores, who made good on just 39 percent of their field goal attempts, missing 13 of their 16 3-point shots in the process. ISU claimed a 26-9 edge in points from the foul line, and it held the Governors to 34.9 percent field goal efficiency.

Indiana State lacks the overall talent and depth needed to compete with the better teams on its schedule, of which Illinois is clearly one. Expect the Illini to continue to score with reckless abandon as they move on to Friday's championship game.