The Illinois men’s basketball team may have finally figured out its point guard situation, and the solution has remained the same for most of the Illini’s problems: Malcolm Hill.

The junior captain whom head coach John Groce now-famously called “the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker” earlier in the season has been given even more responsibility as Illinois’ point guard in the past two games.

The experiment began against Northwestern, during which Hill posted a season-high eight assists and had the Illini in position to win in the final seconds. His role as the floor general was not as obvious against Rutgers, but Hill certainly established Illinois’ tempo by pushing the ball down the floor after each of his 10 rebounds. He finished with three assists and one turnover.

It seems like Hill has already bought into his new role.

“I wish I had a little more assists,” Hill said. “I kinda stopped with the ball. I had one turnover, but there were a couple times when there were dead balls — it would’ve been a turnover if there wasn’t a whistle. I’m trying to focus on my rebounds and assists.”

Without having to worry about getting the ball to another play-maker, Hill’s all-around game at the point meshes seamlessly with the downhill, fast-paced offense the Illini strive in. As made apparent during Tuesday’s blowout win over Rutgers, Hill’s knack for cleaning the glass goes hand-in-hand with his passing vision and ability to run the open floor. Granted this occurred against one of the worst defenses in Division I, but Illinois buckets came quickly and easily whenever Hill nabbed a rebound, sprinted down the court and initiated the offense within the first few seconds of the shot clock.

Following the Northwestern game, Groce said the decision to try Hill at the point was made in the best interest of the team.

“(Hill) and I collectively are in charge of making sure we have quality possessions,” Groce said. “We’ve talked in great length and detail about how much we put on his plate. That role’s not perfected yet, we’ve still got somethings we’ve gotta work to improve upon, but I liked what I saw.”

With the added pressure of taking the reigns of the offense, worries arose that Hill’s scoring would diminish — especially after posting seven points at Northwestern. The Wildcats threw plenty of double-teams at Hill on Saturday, though, and he regained his scoring punch with 22 points Tuesday.

The heightened play Khalid Lewis helped against Rutgers as well. With less pressure on Lewis to run the show, the graduate transfer had one of his better games of the season, finishing with eight assists and two turnovers. He and Hill shared the court for extended stretches, giving the Illini offense a fresh dimension.

“I liked the look in his eye,” Groce said of Lewis. “He earned the minutes that he played. He did a great job and he played at both ends.”

With the addition of Hill at point guard comes the subtraction of former starter Jalyon Tate from the rotation. Tate has logged just six minutes over the past two games and hasn’t seen more than 10 minutes of action since January. Tate leads the team in turnover percentage — and estimate of turnovers per 100 plays — with 25.8 during Big Ten Play, which is especially subpar when considering his team-low usage rate.

“I’m always trying to be solution-based,” Groce said. “I never make decisions like that on a personal nature, it’s always about what’s best for our team.”

With just five games before the Big Ten tournament, it remains to be seen what Hill role cant play for Illinois.

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