2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
The 2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team will represent the University of Illinois in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fourth-year head coach Brad Underwood, the Illini will play their home games at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference.
2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball | |
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Conference | Big Ten Conference |
Ranking | |
Coaches | No. 6 |
AP | No. 6 |
2020–21 record | 13–5 (9–3 Big Ten) |
Head coach |
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Assistant coaches |
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Captain | Ayo Dosunmu Da’Monte Williams |
Home arena | State Farm Center |
2020–21 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 3 Michigan | 8 | – | 1 | .889 | 13 | – | 1 | .929 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 6 Illinois | 9 | – | 3 | .750 | 13 | – | 5 | .722 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 4 Ohio State | 10 | – | 4 | .714 | 16 | – | 4 | .800 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 24 Purdue | 8 | – | 5 | .615 | 13 | – | 7 | .650 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 21 Wisconsin | 8 | – | 5 | .615 | 14 | – | 6 | .700 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 15 Iowa | 7 | – | 5 | .583 | 13 | – | 6 | .684 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
No. 25 Rutgers | 7 | – | 6 | .538 | 11 | – | 6 | .647 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Indiana | 5 | – | 6 | .455 | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Minnesota | 5 | – | 7 | .417 | 12 | – | 7 | .632 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Michigan State | 4 | – | 7 | .364 | 10 | – | 7 | .588 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Penn State | 4 | – | 8 | .333 | 7 | – | 9 | .438 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Maryland | 4 | – | 9 | .308 | 10 | – | 10 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Northwestern | 3 | – | 9 | .250 | 6 | – | 10 | .375 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nebraska | 0 | – | 7 | .000 | 4 | – | 10 | .286 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
† 2021 Big Ten Tournament winner As of February 9, 2021; Rankings from AP Poll |
Previous season
The Illini finished the 2019–20 season 21–10, 13–7 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. Their season ended when the Big Ten Tournament and the NCAA Tournament were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.[1]
Offseason
Departures
On April 7, 2020, freshman big man Kofi Cockburn declared for the NBA draft, but did not hire an agent, leaving open the chance that he would return to school for his sophomore season.[2] On April 16, sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu also declared for the draft.[3] Dosunmu did not hire an agent, but stated that he intended to stay in the draft. On July 31, Dosunmu withdrew his name from the NBA Draft and will return for his junior season.[4]
Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
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Andrés Feliz | 10 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Senior | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | Graduated |
Alan Griffin | 0 | F | 6'5" | 195 | Sophomore | White Plains, NY | Transferred[5] |
Tevian Jones | 5 | F | 6'7" | 205 | Sophomore | Culver City, CA | Transferred[6] |
Kipper Nichols | 2 | F | 6'6" | 220 | RS Senior | Cleveland, Ohio | Graduated |
Samson Oladimeji | 35 | C | 6'4" | 210 | Senior | Rolling Meadows, Illinois | Graduated |
2020 Recruiting Class
Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
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André Curbelo PG |
San Juan, Puerto Rico | Long Island Lutheran (NY) | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Nov 3, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Coleman Hawkins PF |
Antelope, California | Prolific Prep | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Nov 16, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Adam Miller SG |
Chicago, Illinois | Morgan Park | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Nov 21, 2019 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Brandon Lieb C |
Deerfield, Illinois | Deerfield | 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Jun 25, 2020 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Future Recruiting
US college sports recruiting information for 2021 recruits | ||||||
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Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
Luke Goode SG |
Fort Wayne, Indiana | Homestead | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Apr 17, 2020 | |
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() | ||||||
Overall recruiting rankings: | ||||||
Sources:
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Roster
2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Roster |
Schedule and results
Date time, TV |
Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state | |||
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Non-Conference regular season | |||||||||||
November 25, 2020* 1:00 PM, BTN |
No. 8 | North Carolina A&T | W 122–60 | 1–0 |
28 – Tied | 10 – Tied | 7 – Williams | State Farm Center (132) Champaign, IL | |||
November 26, 2020* 11:00 AM, BTN |
No. 8 | Chicago State | W 97–38 | 2–0 |
22 – Dosunmu | 11 – Cockburn | 7 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (143) Champaign, IL | |||
November 27, 2020* 12:00 PM, BTN |
No. 8 | Ohio | W 77–75 | 3–0 |
27 – Dosunmu | 14 – Cockburn | 8 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (155) Champaign, IL | |||
December 2, 2020* 9:00 pm, ESPN |
No. 5 | vs. No. 2 Baylor Jimmy V Classic |
L 69–82 | 3–1 |
18 – Dosunmu | 7 – Williams | 5 – Dosunmu | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (0) Indianapolis, IN | |||
December 5, 2020* 8:00 PM, BTN |
No. 5 | UT-Martin | Cancelled due to COVID-19 within UT-Martin program | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||
December 8, 2020* 8:30 PM, ESPN |
No. 6 | at No. 10 Duke ACC–Big Ten Challenge |
W 83–68 | 4–1 |
18 – Dosunmu | 12 – Dosunmu | 5 – Dosunmu | Cameron Indoor Stadium (0) Durham, NC | |||
December 12, 2020* 7:00 PM, ESPNU |
No. 6 | at Missouri Braggin' Rights |
L 78–81 | 4–2 |
36 – Dosunmu | 6 – Cockburn | 4 – Curbelo | Mizzou Arena (578) Columbia, MO | |||
Big Ten regular season | |||||||||||
December 15, 2020 6:00 PM, ESPN2 |
No. 13 | Minnesota | W 92–65 | 5–2 (1–0) |
33 – Cockburn | 13 – Cockburn | 9 – Curbelo | State Farm Center (173) Champaign, IL | |||
December 20, 2020 12:00 PM, ESPN2 |
No. 13 | at No. 19 Rutgers | L 88–91 | 5–3 (1–1) |
22 – Dosunmu | 12 – Cockburn | 6 – Dosunmu | Rutgers Athletic Center (0) Piscataway, NJ | |||
December 23, 2020 5:30 PM, BTN |
No. 18 | at Penn State | W 98–81 | 6–3 (2–1) |
30 – Dosunmu | 7 – Grandison | 8 – Curbelo | Bryce Jordan Center (158) University Park, PA | |||
December 26, 2020 3:00 PM, FS1 |
No. 18 | Indiana Rivalry |
W 69–60 | 7–3 (3–1) |
30 – Dosunmu | 15 – Cockburn | 5 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (178) Champaign, IL | |||
January 2, 2021 5:00 PM, BTN |
No. 15 | Purdue | W 66-58 | 8-3 (4-1) |
14 – Cockburn | 10 – Tied | 6 – Curbelo | State Farm Center (167) Champaign, IL | |||
January 7, 2021 8:00 PM, BTN |
No. 12 | at Northwestern Rivalry |
W 81-56 | 9-3 (5-1) |
18 – Cockburn | 12 – Cockburn | 7 – Curbelo | Welsh–Ryan Arena (0) Evanston, IL | |||
January 10, 2021 7:00 PM, BTN |
No. 12 | Maryland | L 63-66 | 9-4 (5-2) |
23 – Dosunmu | 10 – Cockburn | 5 – Tied | State Farm Center (169) Champaign, IL | |||
January 16, 2021 11:00 AM, FOX |
No. 14 | No. 21 Ohio State | L 81–87 | 9–5 (5–3) |
22 – Dosunmu | 11 – Cockburn | 5 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (175) Champaign, IL | |||
January 19, 2021 7:30 PM, BTN |
No. 22 | Penn State | W 79-65 | 10-5 (6-3) |
21 – Cockburn | 12 – Cockburn | 5 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (148) Champaign, IL | |||
January 29, 2021 8:00 PM, FS1 |
No. 19 | No. 7 Iowa Rivalry |
W 80–75 | 11–5 (7–3) |
25 – Dosunmu | 10 – Tied | 8 – Curbelo | State Farm Center (190) Champaign, IL | |||
February 2, 2021 8:00 PM, ESPN |
No. 12 | at Indiana Rivalry |
W 75–71 OT | 12–5 (8–3) |
19 – Frazier | 10 – Cockburn | 4 – Curbelo | Assembly Hall (0) Bloomington, IN | |||
February 6, 2021 1:30 PM, FOX |
No. 12 | No. 19 Wisconsin | W 75–60 | 13–5 (9–3) |
23 – Cockburn | 14 – Cockburn | 12 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (180) Champaign, IL | |||
February 11, 2021 6:00 PM, ESPN |
No. 6 | at No. 3 Michigan | Postponed due to return-to-play for Michigan | Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI | |||||||
February 12, 2021 8:00 PM, BTN |
No. 6 | at Nebraska | Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE | ||||||||
February 16, 2021 BTN |
Northwestern Rivalry |
State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
February 20, 2021 FOX/FS1 |
at Minnesota | Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN | |||||||||
February 23, 2021 6:00 PM, FS1 |
at Michigan State | Breslin Center East Lansing, MI | |||||||||
February 27, 2021 ESPN/ESPN2 |
at Wisconsin | Kohl Center Madison, WI | |||||||||
March 2-4, 2021 (TBA) BTN |
Nebraska | State Farm Center Champaign, IL | |||||||||
March 6, 2021 ESPN/ESPN2 |
at Ohio State | Value City Arena Columbus, OH | |||||||||
Big Ten Tournament | |||||||||||
March 10 - 14, 2021 |
Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, IN | ||||||||||
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |
Source[7]
Rankings
Week | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final | ||||||||||||||||||||
AP | 8 | 5 | 6 | 13 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 14 | 22 | 19 | 12 | 6 | Not released | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Coaches | 10 | 10^ | 9 | 13 | 18 | 16 | 12 | 13 | 24 | 22 | 13 | 6 |
*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.
References
- "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
- Ryan, Shannon. "Kofi Cockburn declares for the NBA draft, and the Illinois freshman will get feedback from teams before making a final decision". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- "Illinois' Dosunmu declares for NBA draft". ESPN.com. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- Ryan, Shannon. "Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu's dad says his son is '98% or 99%' committed to remaining in the NBA draft". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- Cobb, David. "Syracuse lands prized Illinois transfer Alan Griffin, son of Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
- joey.wagner@lee.net, JOEY WAGNER. "Illinois sophomore Tevian Jones enters transfer portal". Herald-Review.com. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
- https://fightingillini.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball