The 79-47 beatdown that the Illinois men’s basketball team administered to Lewis on Saturday will not count toward its regular season record. But the exhibition game reflects the beginnings of a blueprint that head coach John Groce is establishing for the season, as well as the future, at Illinois.

By that measure, Saturday’s victory has meaning. Illinois never trailed in a wire-to-wire performance, and the new coaching staff came away with new knowledge about the type of team they have.

“The biggest thing I learned tonight is how good they want to be,” Groce said. “For the bulk of the game, I thought our effort was terrific.”

That effort, along with execution, was lacking in the Orange and Blue Scrimmage earlier in the week, according to Groce. The coaching staff analyzed the team’s deficiencies through film during the ensuing week, and Groce said that his team improved in those areas against Lewis.

Illinois sprinted to a 26-4 lead in the first half with six different players making 3-pointers during that run. Myke Henry hit the first of those 3’s on a pick-and-pop play with Brandon Paul assisting, sparking an impressive statistical performance for Henry. The 6-foot-6 sophomore, who has skills on the perimeter and the post, tallied 11 points and six rebounds on 5-of-7 shooting and only 16 minutes of playing time.

“This offense is more spaced for more isos, which I had a lot of this game in the post,” Henry said of his opportunities in the new offense.

D.J. Richardson led Illinois in scoring with 12 points, a feat he accomplished during the intrasquad scrimmage earlier in the week. Only six of those points came via the 3-pointer as Richardson displayed a confidence attacking the basket that’s been nurtured by the coaching staff since the start of summer workouts.

“There’s no reason for us to hold back,” Richardson said. “We’ve got a point to prove this year. We’re coachable. We’ve just got to listen to everything Coach (Groce) says to get better.”

Despite the improvements, Saturday’s contest wasn’t a perfect performance. Illinois outscored Lewis by only 10 points after the scorching 26-4 run to start the game. Turnovers mounted and Illinois’ shooting percentage cooled as the game progressed, but a constant was an intensity on defense and rebounding that redeemed some of the miscues on the offensive end.

“That’s mental toughness is what that is. You’ve got to get to the next play,” Groce said. “I tell them that’s how it is in life and that’s how it is in basketball. This is not a game of perfect. You’re going to make some mistakes. You’ve got to get to the next play.”

With 10:45 left in the first half, Tyler Griffey exemplified that mental toughness. Lewis forward Brad Foster pulled down a defensive rebound, which Griffey stripped. As the ball slowly rolled toward the baseline, Griffey dove on top of it and swiftly called timeout.

The Illinois bench erupted in praise of Griffey’s hustle, including its head coach, who pumped his fist and enthusiastically applauded while yelling, “Way to go, Griff!”

Thomas can be reached at [email protected] and @ThomasBruch.