2018–19 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

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{{{year}}} [[{{{team}}} football]]
Head coach
  • (2nd season)
2018–19 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 5 Michigan State † 16 – 4   .800 32 – 7   .821
No. 13 Purdue 16 – 4   .800 26 – 10   .722
No. 8 Michigan 15 – 5   .750 30 – 7   .811
No. 21 Wisconsin 14 – 6   .700 23 – 11   .676
Maryland 13 – 7   .650 23 – 11   .676
Iowa 10 – 10   .500 23 – 12   .657
Minnesota 9 – 11   .450 22 – 14   .611
Ohio State 8 – 12   .400 20 – 15   .571
Indiana 8 – 12   .400 19 – 16   .543
Penn State 7 – 13   .350 14 – 18   .438
Illinois 7 – 13   .350 12 – 21   .364
Rutgers 7 – 13   .350 14 – 17   .452
Nebraska 6 – 14   .300 19 – 17   .528
Northwestern 4 – 16   .200 13 – 19   .406
† 2019 Big Ten tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll

The 2018–19 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team will represent the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by second-year head coach Brad Underwood, the Illini will play their home games at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference.

Previous season

The Illini finished the 2017–18 season 14–18, 4–14 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for 11th place. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten Tournament, they lost in the first round to Iowa.[1]

Offseason

Player departures

On March 5, 2018 Mark Smith announced his decision to transfer to a new school, indicating he did not fit into Illinois' system moving forward.[2] On March 15, Leron Black announced his decision to forgoing final year of eligibility to declare for the NBA draft after already graduating with his Bachelor's degree.[3] He intended to sign with an agent, ending his collegiate career.[4] On March 26, Te'Jon Lucas and Michael Finke both announced they would transfer to other programs.[5] Lucas announced he would transfer to Milwaukee to complete his two years of remaining eligibility after sitting out for a season.[6] Finke announced he will transfer to Grand Canyon and have one year of immediate eligibility as a graduate transfer.[7] In late April, Matic Vessel left the program and returned to his home country of Slovenia to explore his options to continue basketball. [8] On June 7, 2018 Greg Eboigbodin announced his intent to transfer out of Illinois, which left Illinois with four returning scholarship players from the prior season.[9] Eboigbodin announced on July 30, 2018 that he would transfer to Northeastern University.[10]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Te'Jon Lucas 3 G 6'0" 170 Sophomore Milwaukee, Wisconsin Transfer to Milwaukee
Matic Vessel 4 F 6'10" 215 Freshman Ljubljana, Slovenia Left program and returned to Solvenia
Greg Eboigbodin 11 F 6'9" 220 Freshman Benin City, Nigeria Transfer to Northeastern
Leron Black 12 F 6'7" 220 Redshirt Junior Memphis, Tennessee Graduated and forgoing final year of eligibility to go pro
Mark Smith 13 G 6'5" 225 Freshman Edwardsville, Illinois Transfer to Missouri
Mark Alstork 24 G 6'5" 190 Graduate student Dayton, Ohio Graduated
Clayton Jones 41 G 6'0" 170 Redshirt Senior Champaign, Illinois Graduated
Michael Finke 43 F 6'10" 230 Redshirt Junior Champaign, Illinois Graduated and transfer to Grand Canyon
Cameron Liss 45 F 6'6" 220 Redshirt Junior Northbrook, Illinois Graduated

2018 recruiting class

In October of 2017, five-star point guard Ayo Dosunmu verbally committed to Illinois over Wake Forest at the flagship Jordan Brand Store on State Street in the Chicago Loop.[11] Dosunmu signed his National Letter of Intent in November of 2017 to attend Illinois. In March of 2018, Dosunmu was named one of 26 high school seniors who will participate in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 8, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.[12] Dosunmu is the third Illini to be selected to play in the Jordan Classic, joining Dee Brown who played for the Red team in 2002 and Jalen Coleman-Lands who played in 2015.[13] Dosunmu was also selected to play in the second annual Iverson Roundball Classic All-American Game that will take place in April of 2018 at Souderton Area High School outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[14]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Giorgi Bezhanishvili
PF 		Vienna, Austria St. Patrick High School (NJ) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (100 kg) Mar 26, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 74
Ayo Dosunmu
PG 		Chicago, IL Morgan Park High School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 172 lb (78 kg) Oct 19, 2017 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:5/5 stars   Rivals:5/5 stars   247Sports:5/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Andres Feliz
PG 		Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic West Oaks Academy/Northwest Florida State College 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 8, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars
Alan Griffin
SG 		White Plains, NY Oak Park and River Forest HS/Archbishop Stepinac HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Mar 2, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 75
Anthony Higgs
SF 		Baltimore, MD Perry Hall High School 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jun 26, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A
Tevian Jones
SF 		Culver City, CA Culver City High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 3, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Samba Kane
C 		Dakar, Senegal Regis Jesuit High School/Florida Preparatory Academy 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Mar 9, 2018 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 13  247Sports: 28
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Illinois 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  • "ESPN Recruiting Nation Basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  • "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.
  • "Illinois 2018 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018.

Roster

2018–19 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Alan Griffin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Oak Park and River Forest HS/Archbishop Stepinac HS White Plains, New York
G 1 Trent Frazier 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 170 lb (77 kg) So Wellington High School (FL) West Palm Beach, Florida
F 2 Kipper Nichols 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Jr St. Edward High School (OH) Cleveland, Ohio
G 3 Drew Cayce (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) RS Jr La Lumiere School/Creighton Libertyville, Illinois
F 5 Tevian Jones 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Culver City High School Culver City, California
G 10 Andres Feliz 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Jr West Oaks Academy/Northwest Florida State Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
G 11 Ayo Dosunmu 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Morgan Park High School Chicago, Illinois
C 12 Adonis De La Rosa 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 265 lb (120 kg) GS Christ the King HS/Kent State Bronx, NY
F 15 Giorgi Bezhanishvili 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Fr St. Patrick High School Vienna, Austria
G 20 Da'Monte Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Manual High School Peoria, Illinois
F 22 Anthony Higgs 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr Perry Hall High School Baltimore, Maryland
G 23 Aaron Jordan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Plainfield East High School Plainfield, Illinois
G 32 Tyler Underwood (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr Nacogdoches High School / Oklahoma State Nacogdoches, Texas
C 34 Samba Kane 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Regis Jesuit High School/Florida Preparatory Academy Dakar, Senegal
G 35 Samson Oladimeji (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr William Fremd High School Rolling Meadows, Illinois
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: June 22, 2018

Schedule and results

The season will mark the first time in Big Ten history that the teams will play a 20-game conference schedule, setting a precedent for all Division I basketball.[15] The new schedule will also include a regional component to increase the frequency of games among teams in similar areas. Over the course of a six-year cycle (12 playing opportunities), in-state rivals will play each other 12 times, regional opponents will play 10 times, and all other teams will play nine times.[15] Three in-state series that will be guaranteed home-and-homes: Illinois and Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue, and Michigan and Michigan State will always play twice.[16]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
Nov 2, 2018*
7:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		Illinois Wesleyan       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Regular season
Nov 8, 2018*
7:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		Evansville
Maui on the Mainland 		      State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Nov 13, 2018*
7:30 p.m., FS1 		Georgetown
Gavitt Tipoff Games 		      State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Nov 19, 2018*
10:30 pm, ESPN2 		vs. Gonzaga
Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinals 		      Lahaina Civic Center 
Lahaina, HI
Nov 20, 2018*
 vs. Arizona or Iowa State
Maui Invitational Tournament 		      Lahaina Civic Center 
Lahaina, HI
Nov 21, 2018*
 vs. Auburn, Duke, San Diego State, or Xavier
Maui Invitational Tournament 		      Lahaina Civic Center 
Lahaina, HI
Nov 25, 2018*
1:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		Mississippi Valley State       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Nov 27, 2018*
6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		at Notre Dame
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		      Edmund P. Joyce Center 
Notre Dame, IN
Dec 2, 2018
4:00 p.m., BTN 		Nebraska       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Dec 5, 2018
6:00 p.m., BTN 		vs. Ohio State       United Center 
Chicago, IL
Dec 8, 2018*
1:00 p.m., BTN 		UNLV       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Dec 15, 2018*
1:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		East Tennessee State       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Dec 22, 2018*
7:00 p.m., BTN 		vs. Missouri
Braggin' Rights 		      Enterprise Center 
St. Louis, MO
Dec 29, 2018*
2:00 p.m., BTN Plus 		Florida Atlantic       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Jan 3, 2019
5:30 pm or 6:00 p.m., FS1 		at Indiana
Rivalry 		      Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall 
Bloomington, IN
Jan 6, 2019
12:00 p.m./2:15 p.m./4:30 p.m., BTN 		Northwestern       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Jan 10, 2019
7:00 p.m., FS1 		Michigan       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Jan 16, 2019
8:00 p.m., BTN 		Minnesota       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Jan 20, 2019
12:00 p.m., BTN 		at Iowa       Carver–Hawkeye Arena 
Iowa City, IA
Jan 23, 2019
8:00 p.m., BTN 		Wisconsin       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Jan 26, 2019
11:00 a.m., BTN 		vs. Maryland
B1G Super Saturday 		      Madison Square Garden 
New York, NY
Jan 30, 2019
8:00 p.m., BTN 		at Minnesota       Williams Arena 
Minneapolis, MN
Feb 2, 2019
1:15 p.m., BTN 		at Nebraska       Pinnacle Bank Arena 
Lincoln, NE
Feb 5, 2019
6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		Michigan State       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Feb 9, 2019
3:00 p.m., BTN 		Rutgers       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Feb 14, 2019
6:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN2 		at Ohio State       Value City Arena 
Columbus, OH
Feb 18, 2019
7:00 p.m., FS1 		at Wisconsin       Kohl Center 
Madison, WI
Feb 23, 2019
11:00 a.m., BTN 		Penn State       State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Feb 27, 2019
7:30 p.m., BTN 		at Purdue       Mackey Arena 
West Lafayette, IN
Mar 3, 2019
5:30 p.m., BTN 		at Northwestern       Welsh–Ryan Arena 
Evanston, IL
Mar 7, 2019
7:00 p.m., FS1 		Indiana
Rivalry 		      State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
Mar 10, 2019
11:00 a.m., FS1 		at Penn State       Bryce Jordan Center 
University Park, PA
Big Ten Tournament
Mar 13–17, 2019
TBA 		vs. TBD       United Center 
Chicago, IL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time.

Source[17]

References

  1. ^ "Illinois vs. Iowa - Game Recap - February 28, 2018 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  2. ^ Ryan, Shannon (March 5, 2018). "Mark Smith's departure from Illinois shines light on need for improved recruiting". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  3. ^ Ryan, Shannon (March 15, 2018). "Illinois forward Leron Black leaving to pursue pro career". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "Illinois Basketball: Leron Black testing the NBA waters is a good move". Writing Illini. 2018-03-10. Retrieved 2018-04-13.
  5. ^ Ryan, Shannon (March 26, 2018). "Illinois forward Michael Finke and guard Te'Jon Lucas to transfer". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Richey, Scott (April 24, 2018). "Lucas transferring to Milwaukee". News Gazette. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  7. ^ Richey, Scott (April 25, 2018). "Michael Finke picks Grand Canyon". News Gazette. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  8. ^ Richey, Scott (April 25, 2018). "Vesel leaving Illini". News Gazette. Retrieved April 25, 2018.
  9. ^ Ryan, Shannon (June 7, 2018). "Illinois big man Greg Eboigbodin to transfer, leaving Illini thin in the middle". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  10. ^ Cohn, Stephen (July 30, 2018). "Greg Eboigbodin announces transfer to Northeastern". SB Nation. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  11. ^ Phillips, Scott (October 19, 2017). "Ayo Dosunmu commitment changes the outlook of Illinois basketball". NBC Sports Chicago. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  12. ^ "Ayo to play in Jordan Brand Classic". News-Gazette. March 8, 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  13. ^ "All-Time Jordan Brand All-Americans". Jordan Brand Classic. 2018. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  14. ^ Yuscavage, Chris (March 21, 2018). "2nd Annual Iverson Classic to Feature Shareef O'Neal, Mac McClung, and More High School Stars". Complex. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  15. ^ a b Norlander, Matt (October 19, 2017). "Big Ten adds two games for a 20-game conference schedule starting in 2018–19". CBS Sports. Retrieved March 9, 2018.
  16. ^ "Big Ten to move to 20-game conference slate". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2018-03-12.
  17. ^ "2018 Gavitt Games (Big Ten - Big East Challenge) Schedule". BT Powerhouse. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
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