Malcolm Hill’s college career comes to an end

Malcolm Hill’s college basketball career came to an end Wednesday night when the Fighting Illini lost 68-58 to the UCF Knights in the quarterfinals of the NIT.

Hill, who was a standout basketball player for the Belleville East Lancers, tried to lead Illinois on a frenetic comeback late in the second half, scoring 13 of his 29 points with less than five minutes to play, but that comeback ultimately came up short.

The loss was the final game in the orange and blue for Hill, who became the school’s third all-time leading scorer in Monday’s win over Boise State.

Hill finishes his career with 1,846 points and 647 rebounds. Only Hill and Deon Thomas have 1,800 or more points and 600 or more rebounds in school history.

Hill, twice an All-Big Ten second team selection, helped Illinois win four straight Braggin’ Rights games over the Missouri Tigers. He joins Brian Cook, Dee Brown, James Augustine, Sean Harrington, Luther Head, Roger Powell, and Kendall Gill, among others, who went 4-0 against the rival Tigers.

Hill’s final game also drew reaction on Twitter:

Update: Malcolm Hill has tweeted his thanks.

This story was originally published March 22, 2017 at 8:44 PM with the headline "Malcolm Hill’s college career comes to an end."