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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Malcolm Hill made sure Illinois didnt step off the gas pedal Friday night so that the Illini could took care of business against Detroit Mercy, 89-69.The senior, who scored 25 points, led his team to a quick start after the intermission, when his team was up 39-30 and it seemed like the Titans would close the gap even more.Im always in an aggressive attack more, but this was one of those games where I needed to start strong in the second half, Hill said.Illinois (4-0) continued its strong start to the season in the opening game of the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament.The Illini had little trouble scoring, shooting 27of 52 from the field and 8 of 19 from 3-point range. Friday marked the second straight game the Illini had difficulty shooting from the free throw line however, finishing 27of 38.Tracy Abrams continued to have a strong return to basketball, scoring 15 points and finishing with four rebounds, including 2 of 3 from 3-point range.Groce knows the importance a balanced offense can have on his team.If you can have a balance of paint touches with that outside shooting, it puts opponents in dilemmas, Groce said.Detroit Mercy (1-2) had trouble keeping up with Illinois fast offensive pace from the start of the game. The Titans never led.Josh McFolley and Jaleel Hogan both led the way with 16 points for a team that finished shooting 43 percent from the field and 24 percent from beyond the arc.The Titans fell behind in most categories against the Illini, but Detroit Mercy head coach Bacari Alexander felt Illinois won the game down in the post, where the Illini won the rebound battle 39-29.They took advantage of those opportunities (in the post), Alexander said. (But) I like the direction this team is going in.BIG PICTUREIllinois: The Illini have played as they should against the type of opponents theyve faced so far this year. The team has one game left against relatively easy competition before facing No. 19 West Virginia at the Barclays Center in New York.Detroit Mercy: Although the game was never really close after the first few minutes, the Titans found some scoring opportunities and will need to continue to do that in the rest of the tournament.ROLE PLAYERGroce thought bench player D.J. Williams had his best overall performance of the year. The sophomore wing scored six points.LETDOWNAfter a strong start to the season, center Maverick Morgan had his worst night of the season, finishing with six points and zero rebounds and fouling out with more than five minutes left in the game.UP NEXTIllinois will continue play in the NIT Season Tip-Off tournament when it hosts Winthrop in Champaign on Monday.Detroit Mercy will try to bounce back Monday when it travels to Florida State to play its second game in the NIT Season Tip-Off.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.orgWhat is the best place to buy Cheap Jerseys . Dusautoir, the former World Player of the Year, sustained a torn bicep playing for Toulouse in the Heineken Cup on Saturday. The flanker, who has played 65 times for France, is expected to be out for up to four months. How to Buy Cheap Jerseys . 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Indias Shiv Chowrasia, who has finished runner-up in this tournament twice, was in second place after a 66.RENTON, Wash. -- It was one thing for the Seattle Seahawks to know they would be without safety Earl Thomas for one game, maybe two.Now that the former All-Pro safety is done for the rest of the 2016 season -- no matter how far Seattle may advance in the playoffs -- the Seahawks are facing a new reality for the rest of this year that doesnt include arguably their most important defensive player on the field.I dont think youre going to replace Earl Thomas. Hes a very unique player. But hes very quiet. Hes not a guy who adds a whole lot on the vocal side. He does it with his play, Seattle coach Pete Carroll said on Monday. Earl is Earl.The Seahawks now know the earliest they will see Thomas back on the field is the 2017 season after he suffered a broken lower left leg in Sundays 40-7 win over Carolina. While there was an initial thought that Thomas could return if the Seahawks made a deep run in the playoffs, Carroll said further examination on Monday determined the recovery for the fractured tibia is too extensive for the star safety to make it back this season.Its a crushing injury to the player that makes Seattles defense function perhaps more than any other. And while Steven Terrell is a solid replacement with experience in Seattles system and one start already this season, hes not Thomas, as Carroll said.You cant make up for it. You just try to find some others who can do half of what he does, Seattle defensive end Michael Bennett said Sunday night. Its hard to replace that kind of player whos a Hall of Fame type of player. You cant really replace (them).Thomas was injured in the second quarter of the blowout victory, colliding with teammate Kam Chancellor as each tried to intercept a pass from Carolina quarterback Cam Newton. It was a violent and high-speed collision that Carroll said Monday also left Chancellor a little bangedd up.dddddddddddd.Its the first major injury of Thomas career and the emotional safety immediately became reflective, tweeting during the game that he was contemplating retirement.I know its really generated a lot of curiosity, Carroll said. Hes going through, at the time, the emotional part of dealing with an injury thats a serious setback. I dont know much more about it than that.Thomas has been a constant in Seattles secondary since he arrived in 2010 as the second draft pick made by Carroll and general manager John Schneider. He started 106 consecutive games, a streak that was snapped last week when he sat out against Tampa Bay due to a hamstring injury.Thomas furiously rehabbed the injury in order to play against the Panthers. And he lasted barely one quarter before suffering an even more significant blow.Carroll said the freedom with how Thomas plays is the most difficult aspect to replace.The experience that Earl has, has given him freedom to see things, make plays, feel confident making breaks on balls and taking shots on stuff. That comes from a lot of success, confidence building success, Carroll said. You get bold. Earl has become that kind of player for us.Terrell has been with Seattle since 2014, signed in part because of the quickness he brought to the secondary. Hes mostly been a special teams contributor, but played well a week ago against Tampa Bay with Thomas sidelined.Its really important because were playing a lot of three-deep and youve got to cover a lot of ground out there, Carroll said of Terrell. Weve had guys who dont have 4.3 (40-yard dash) speed that have played over the years but it sure helps.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL ' ' '