2016–17 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

2016–17 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball

Conference	Big Ten Conference
2016–17 record	5–3 (0–0 Big Ten)
Head coach	John Groce (5th year)
Assistant coach	Dustin Ford
Assistant coach	Paris Parham
Assistant coach	Jamall Walker
Assistant coach	Darren Hertz
Home arena	State Farm Center

2016–17 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
	Conf				Overall
Team	W		L	PCT	W		L	PCT
Maryland	0	–	0	–	8	–	1	.889
Minnesota	0	–	0	–	7	–	1	.875
Ohio State	0	–	0	–	7	–	1	.875
Rutgers	0	–	0	–	7	–	1	.875
No. 13 Indiana	0	–	0	–	6	–	1	.857
No. 17 Wisconsin	0	–	0	–	7	–	2	.778
Michigan	0	–	0	–	6	–	2	.750
Northwestern	0	–	0	–	6	–	2	.750
No. 15 Purdue	0	–	0	–	6	–	2	.750
Illinois	0	–	0	–	6	–	3	.667
Penn State	0	–	0	–	6	–	3	.667
Nebraska	0	–	0	–	5	–	3	.625
Michigan State	0	–	0	–	5	–	4	.556
Iowa	0	–	0	–	3	–	5	.375

† 2017 Big Ten Tournament winner Rankings from AP Poll

The 2016–17 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team will represent the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2016–17 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fifth year head coach John Groce, the Illini will play their home games at State Farm Center and are members of the Big Ten Conference.

Previous Season

The Fighting Illini finished the 2015–16 season with a record of 15–19, 5–13 in Big Ten play to finish in 12th place in conference. The Illini defeated Minnesota and Iowa to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Tournament where they lost to Purdue.

Pre-season

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Khalid Lewis	3	G	6'3"	185	RS Senior	Trenton, NJ	Graduated
Mike LaTulip	10	G	6'1"	170	Senior	Arlington Heights, IL	Graduated and transferred to Wright State
Kendrick Nunn	25	G	6'3"	190	Junior	Chicago, IL	Dismissed due to domestic battery guilty plea, transferred to Oakland^[1]

2016-17 additions

On September 16, 2015, Te'Jon Lucas of Milwaukee, Wisconsin verbally committed to attend Illinois in the fall of 2016 and signed his National Letter of Intent to finalize his recruitment on November 11, 2015. Lucas attended the NBA Top 100 camp in June 2015, had scholarship offers from California, Memphis, Purdue, and Wisconsin, and he strongly considered both USC and Old Dominion before committing to Illinois.^[2]^[3] Lucas is only the third player from the State of Wisconsin to commit to Illinois, and is the first since 1926.^[4]

Incoming freshman

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Te'Jon Lucas PG	Milwaukee, WI	Washington (WI)	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Sep 16, 2015
Te'Jon Lucas PG	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
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 2016 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18. "2016 Illinois Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18. "ESPN Recruiting Nation Basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18. "2016 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18. "Illinois 2016 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved 2015-09-18.

Incoming transfer student

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Drew Cayce^[5] PG	Libertyville, IL	La Lumiere (IN) / Creighton	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	Jul 21, 2016
Drew Cayce^[5] PG	Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
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:

2017 Recruiting class

On January 16, 2016, Javon Pickett of Belleville, Illinois verbally committed to attend Illinois in the fall of 2017.^[6] Pickett committed after having scholarship offers from Drake, Illinois State, Southern Illinois Edwardsville, Saint Louis University and Tennessee State.^[6] During Illinois' final home game against Minnesota on February 28, 2016, Da'Monte Williams verbally committed to attend Illinois in the fall of 2017. Williams is the son of former Illinois guard Frank Williams who led the Fighting Illini to three straight NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2001.^[7]

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
Javon Pickett SG	Belleville, IL	Belleville East (IL)	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	Jan 16, 2016
Javon Pickett SG	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports:
Jeremiah Tilmon C/PF	East Saint Louis, IL	La Lumiere (IN)	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	235 lb (107 kg)	Jul 11, 2016
Jeremiah Tilmon C/PF	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Da'Monte Williams CG	Peoria, IL	Manual (IL)	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	Feb 29, 2016
Da'Monte Williams CG	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Trent Frazier PG	West Palm Beach, FL	Wellington (FL)	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Aug 20, 2016
Trent Frazier PG	Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Overall recruiting rankings:
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 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19. "2017 Illinois Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19. "Illinois 2017 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved 2016-01-19.

Roster

2016–17 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

Players

Coaches

Pos.	#	Name	Height	Weight	Year	Home town
1.5 !G	0	Williams, D. J.D. J. Williams	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	2.0 !So	Chicago, IL
1.0 !PG	1	Tate, JaylonJaylon Tate	75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	4.0 !Sr	Chicago, IL
3.0 !SF	2	Nichols, KipperKipper Nichols	78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	1.5 !RS Fr	Cleveland, OH
1.5 !G	3	Lucas, Te'JonTe'Jon Lucas	72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Milwaukee, WI
1.5 !G	5	Coleman-Lands, JalenJalen Coleman-Lands	75 !6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2.0 !So	Indianapolis, IN
1.5 !G	10	Cayce, DrewDrew Cayce (W)	73 !6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	2.0 !So	Libertyville, IL
3.5 !F	12	Black, LeronLeron Black	79 !6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	2.5 !RS So	Memphis, TN
1.5 !G	13	Abrams, TracyTracy Abrams (C)	74 !6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	5.0 !GS	Chicago, IL
1.5 !G	14	Oladimeji, SamsonSamson Oladimeji (W)	76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1.0 !Fr	Rolling Meadows, IL
1.5 !G	21	Hill, MalcolmMalcolm Hill (C)	78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	4.0 !Sr	Belleville, IL
5.0 !C	22	Morgan, MaverickMaverick Morgan	82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	245 lb (111 kg)	4.0 !Sr	Springboro, OH
2.0 !SG	23	Jordan, AaronAaron Jordan	77 !6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2.0 !So	Plainfield, IL
5.0 !C	33	Thorne Jr., MikeMike Thorne Jr.	83 !6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)	270 lb (122 kg)	5.0 !GS	Fayetteville, NC
1.5 !G	41	Jones, ClaytonClayton Jones (W)	72 !6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Champaign, IL
4.5 !F/C	43	Finke, MichaelMichael Finke	82 !6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	2.5 !RS So	Champaign, IL
1.5 !G	44	Austin, AlexAlex Austin (W)	76 !6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	4.5 !RS Sr	Chicago, IL
3.0 !SF	45	Liss, CameronCameron Liss (W)	78 !6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	3.0 !Jr	Northbrook, IL

Head coach

John Groce (Taylor)

Assistant coach(es)

Dustin Ford (Ohio)
Jamall Walker (Saint Louis)
Paris Parham (Minnesota State)

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
(W) Walk-on

Injured
Current redshirt

Roster

Schedule and results

Date Time, TV	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (Attendance) City, State
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2016* 2:00 pm, BTN+	Washington U	W 82–75		20 – Morgan	6 – Hill	5 – Tate	State Farm Center (10,359) Champaign, IL
Nov 4, 2016* 7:00 pm, BTN+	Lewis	W 95–51		16 – Coleman-Lands	9 – Finke	4 – Tate	State Farm Center (12,753) Champaign, IL
Non-conference regular season
Nov 11, 2016* 8:00 pm, BTN	Southeast Missouri State	W 81–62	1–0	21 – Hill	8 – Hill	6 – Tate	State Farm Center (10,790) Champaign, IL
Nov 13, 2016* 5:00 pm, BTN+	Northern Kentucky	W 79–64	2–0	40 – Hill	12 – Hill	3 – Tied	State Farm Center (10,888) Champaign, IL
Nov 15, 2016* 7:00 pm, BTN	McKendree	W 112–65	3–0	18 – Tied	10 – Thorne, Jr.	8 – Tate	State Farm Center (10,135) Champaign, IL
Nov 18, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	Detroit NIT Season Tip-Off	W 89–69	4–0	25 – Hill	7 – Thorne, Jr.	6 – Tate	State Farm Center (10,396) Champaign, IL
Nov 21, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	Winthrop NIT Season Tip-Off	L 80–84 ^OT	4–1	18 – Finke	9 – Hill	6 – Abrams	State Farm Center (9,502) Champaign, IL
Nov 24, 2016* 2:00 pm, ESPNU	vs. No. 19 West Virginia NIT Season Tip-Off semifinals	L 57–89	4–2	13 – Finke	9 – Black	4 – Tate	Barclays Center (2,451) Brooklyn, NY
Nov 25, 2016* 11:30 am, ESPNU	vs. Florida State NIT Season Tip-Off 3rd place game	L 61–72	4–3	18 – Hill	11 – Black	4 – Lucas	Barclays Center (3,713) Brooklyn, NY
Nov 29, 2016* 8:00 pm, ESPNU	NC State ACC–Big Ten Challenge	W 88–74	5–3	22 – Hill	9 – Hill	4 – Hill	State Farm Center (13,481) Champaign, IL
Dec 3, 2016* 2:00 pm, CBSSN	vs. VCU Hoophall Miami Invitational			–	–	–	American Airlines Arena Miami, FL
Dec 6, 2016* 7:00 pm, ESPN3	IUPUI			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Dec 10, 2016* 2:00 pm, BTN+	Central Michigan			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Dec 17, 2016* 8:30 pm, BTN	vs. BYU State Farm Chicago Legends			–	–	–	United Center Chicago, IL
Dec 21, 2016* 6:00 pm, ESPNU	vs. Missouri Braggin' Rights			–	–	–	Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO
Big Ten Regular season
Dec 27, 2016 4:00 pm, ESPN2	at Maryland			–	–	–	Xfinity Center College Park, MD
Jan 1, 2017 BTN	Ohio State			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Jan 7, 2017 4:00 pm, ESPNU	at Indiana Rivalry			–	–	–	Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN
Jan 11, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN	Michigan			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Jan 14, 2017 5:00 pm, ESPN2	Maryland			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Jan 17, 2017 6:00 pm, BTN	at Purdue			–	–	–	Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN
Jan 21, 2017 1:15 pm, BTN	at Michigan			–	–	–	Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI
Jan 25, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN	Iowa			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Jan 28, 2017 3:30 pm, BTN	at Penn State			–	–	–	Bryce Jordan Center University Park, PA
Jan 31, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN	Wisconsin			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Feb 4, 2017 3:30 pm, BTN	Minnesota			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Feb 7, 2017 7:00 pm, BTN	at Northwestern			–	–	–	Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL
Feb 11, 2017 1:00 pm, BTN	Penn State			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Feb 18, 2017 1:00 pm, BTN	at Iowa			–	–	–	Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA
Feb 21, 2017 7:00 pm, BTN	Northwestern			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Feb 26, 2017 6:30 pm, BTN	at Nebraska			–	–	–	Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE
Mar 1, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN	Michigan State			–	–	–	State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Mar 4, 2017 11:00 am, ESPNU	at Rutgers			–	–	–	Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ
Big Ten Tournament
Mar 8–12, 2017	vs.			–	–	–	Verizon Center Washington, D.C.
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

References

↑ Paul, Tony (June 23, 2016). "Ex-Illinois star Nunn to join Golden Grizzlies". Detroit News. Retrieved June 23, 2016.
↑ Ryan, Shannon (2015-11-11). "Four-star point guard Te'Jon Lucas signs with Illinois". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
↑ Stewart, Mark (2015-09-16). "Washington basketball star Te'Jon Lucas commits to Illinois". Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
↑ Jackson, Marcus (2015-09-16). "Te'Jon Lucas: 'We'll be celebrating'". News Gazette. Retrieved 2015-11-30.
↑ Vainisi, Jim (2016-07-21). "Creighton guard Drew Cayce is transferring to Illinois Basketball as a walk-on". SB Nation. Retrieved 2016-07-27.
1 2 Zuvanich, Adam (January 18, 2016). "Belleville East's Pickett pledges to the University of Illinois". St. Louis Post Dispatch. Retrieved January 19, 2016.
↑ "Illinois lands DaMonte Williams, No. 8 shooting guard in 2017 class". ESPN. February 28, 2016. Retrieved February 29, 2016.

Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball

Venues	Kenney Gym (1906–1925) Huff Hall (1926–1963) State Farm Center (1963–present) Prairie Capital Convention Center (2015)

Rivalries	Indiana Missouri

Culture & lore	Whiz Kids Flyin' Illini Orange Krush Fighting Illini Sports Network Oskee Wow-Wow Illinois Loyalty Chief Illiniwek

People	Head coaches NBA draftees Consensus All-Americans

Seasons	1905–06 1906–07 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17

Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 11/30/2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.