promotions, so many giveaways, so many marketing tools the business side can use to sell tickets and spur interest. With a team

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois forward Malcolm Hill missed his first four shots from the field Friday, mirroring his teams slow start in the season opener against Southeast Missouri State.But the senior was pulling down rebounds, and the shots started falling late in the first half.Hill finished with 21 points and eight rebounds to lead the Illini past Southeast Missouri 81-62.Maverick Morgan added 16 points for Illinois and was 8 of 8 from the field. Michael Finke scored 12 and pulled down seven rebounds, while sixth-year guard Tracy Abrams scored 13 in his return after two-straight seasons out with injuries.Southeast Missouri opened hot, riding Antonius Clevelands eight early points for a 25-18 lead and keeping a sparse opening-night crowd quiet.But the Illini turned their defense up and started finding the basket, going on a 12-0 run to turn that seven-point deficit into a 30-25 lead on a 3-pointer from the left corner from guard Tracy Abrams.Illinois coach John Groce was happy his team survived the early charge, something he credited to having a team heavy on seniors.When our shots werent going in early, I thought our defense was kind of porous early, yet we kind of just kept hanging in there, Groce said.Illinois finished the night 58.6 percent from the field, including 19-22 from 2-pount range.The key to turning on Illinois defense was communication, Abrams said.We talked a little bit more down the stretch, we took on the challenge even more. We started talking more.Southeast Missouri coach Rick Ray liked his teams fast start. But the Redhawks did not respond on defense when Illinois started finding the basket, he said.I told our guys I have every confidence well be able to score the ball, a hoarse Ray said. The question is defense and rebounds.Milos Vranes led Southeast Missouri with 12 points. Cleveland finished with 10.BIG PICTURESoutheast Missouri: The Redhawks are coming off a 5-24 season and struggled in their only exhibition game, trailing by six at the half against Division II Missouri S&T before pulling out an 84-77 win. After taking the early lead on Friday, the Redhawks were mostly outmanned against a team with far bigger players. One of their biggest problems was on the boards. The Illini outrebounded Southeast Missouri 37-22.Illinois: One of Illinois most pressing early questions will be who emerges as the primary point guards. The team lacked a true point guard at times last season, one of the key problems in a 15-19 season. Abrams started Friday and senior Jaylon Tate backed him up but also shared the court at time, playing 25 minutes and scoring just two points but dishing out six assists. Talented freshman TeJon Lucas didnt play until 17 seconds were left in the game. Abrams night was encouraging.Groce said he liked the combination of Abrams and Tate on the floor together against a team that specializes in forcing turnovers.Those guys know each other like the back of their hands. I thought they had some good chemistry, he said.WELCOME BACKAbrams hadnt played a regular-season game in two full seasons before Friday. He missed all of 2014-15 with a torn Achilles tendon and all of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament tear. He was a welcome sight Friday, scoring the first points for the Illini on a 3-pointer less than two minutes into the game. He played 27 minutes.BIG MENIllinois is deep in big men, with Morgan and Michael Finke -- both 6-foot-10 -- and the 6-foot-11 Mike Thorne Jr. Morgan and Finke spent much of the night on the floor together. Between them the three scored 30 and had 15 rebounds.UP NEXTSoutheast Missouris home opener will be Sunday against Hannibal-LaGrange, an NAIA school in Hannibal, Missouri.Illinois hosts Northern Kentucky Sunday in the second game of a five-game homestand.---More AP college basketball: http://collegebasketball.ap.orgFollow David Mercer on Twitter: (at)davidmercerAP Custom Oscar Robertson Jersey . Andrew Luck lost his favourite target and the Indianapolis locker room lost one of its most revered leaders when Reggie Wayne was diagnosed Monday with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee that will cost him the rest of the season. 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MINNEAPOLIS -- With a roster full of some of the best young talent in the league and a new, playoff-tested coach to lead them, the Minnesota Timberwolves entered this season as a trendy pick to finally end a 12-year postseason drought.Ten games into this still-young season, Tom Thibodeau finally erupted after watching his team give away yet another double-digit lead in a loss to the Charlotte Hornets that dropped them to 3-7.Its not that the Timberwolves are losing games this season that has angered him. Its how they are losing them, with the same mistakes occurring over and over again, particularly during the third quarter of nearly every game.A big part of learning is trial and error. So when you go through something and it doesnt work, you should learn from it, Thibodeau said after a 115-108 loss to the Hornets on Tuesday. The second time around, it shouldnt be the same way. That has to change and it has to change fast.The Timberwolves have been one of the best offensive teams in the league this season, with Andrew Wiggins, Karl-Anthony Towns and Zach LaVine all showing skills that have fans cautiously hopeful that the franchise is finally ready to return to relevancy.But they have been a disaster on defense and atrocious after halftime. They have been outscored by 91 points in their 10 third quarters this season, by far the worst margin in the league. Only one game this season have they outscored their opponent in that period -- a 36-point win over Memphis in which the Grizzlies were resting stars Mike Conley and Marc Gasol.The devastating ball movement that leads to wide open shots disappears, too. Thibodeau said his players start holding and dancing with the ball, which bogs down the flow. Contested jumpers lead to missed shots, which open up transition opportunities for their opponents.The defense at the rim and on the perimeter is nonexistent. Layups, dunks and 3-pointers rain down on their heaads as they scramble to get things under control.dddddddddddd Wash, rinse, repeat.Were playing really well and it just turns and ruins the whole game, LaVine said Wednesday. It ruins all our spirits. Going into the next game, you feel like youve got it figured out. Were up 15, 12 points and were going good and its a nosedive.The results are familiar to fans. Target Center announced just 10,349 fans for the game against the Hornets on Tuesday. Average attendance during the five homes games is just over 13,000 per game in a building that holds close to 20,000, certainly not what the organization expected in the highly anticipated run-up to the season.There are only so many promotions, so many giveaways, so many marketing tools the business side can use to sell tickets and spur interest. With a team that has been bad for this long, the fans are going to make them prove that things are different before they start investing.This is the best team Ive ever been around, said point guard Ricky Rubio, in his sixth season with the Wolves. I get mad thinking that were wasting time. Were not learning. Its time to change.The Wolves do have things to comfort them. They are the best team in the league in point differential in the first quarter, first in 3-point shooting percentage and fourth in offensive efficiency. Thibodeau is considered a defensive mastermind, so it could just be a matter of time before his new charges start to execute his system the way he wants to see it done.But if they do want to make the playoffs and end that interminable drought, they know they have to get going soon.There is no easy way out. Its work, Thibodeau said. Were more than capable of doing it. We just have to get it done.---This story has been corrected to show third quarter combined deficit is 91 points. ' ' '