2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

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2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
Illinois Fighting Illini logo.svg
NCAA Tournament, Second Round
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 8
APNo. 2
2020–21 record24–7 (16–4 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Offensive schemeSpread
Base defenseOn-the-Line-Up-the-Line, Man
CaptainAyo Dosunmu
Da’Monte Williams
Home arenaState Farm Center
Seasons
2020–21 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 4 Michigan 14 – 3   .824 23 – 5   .821
No. 2 Illinois † 16 – 4   .800 24 – 7   .774
No. 8 Iowa 14 – 6   .700 22 – 9   .710
No. 20 Purdue 13 – 6   .684 18 – 10   .643
No. 7 Ohio State 12 – 8   .600 21 – 10   .677
Wisconsin 10 – 10   .500 18 – 13   .581
Rutgers 10 – 10   .500 16 – 12   .571
Maryland 9 – 11   .450 17 – 14   .548
Michigan State 9 – 11   .450 15 – 13   .536
Indiana 7 – 12   .368 12 – 15   .444
Penn State 7 – 12   .368 11 – 14   .440
Northwestern 6 – 13   .316 9 – 15   .375
Minnesota 6 – 14   .300 14 – 15   .483
Nebraska 3 – 16   .158 7 – 20   .259
† 2021 Big Ten Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented 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 played their home games at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 24–7, 16–4 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They defeated Rutgers, Iowa, and Ohio State to win the Big Ten Tournament and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Drexel in the First Round before being upset by No. 8-seeded Loyola–Chicago.

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.[4] On July 31, Cockburn and Dosunmu announced they had withdrawn from the NBA Draft and would return to Illinois for the season.[5]

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
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 to Syracuse[6]
Tevian Jones 5 F 6'7" 205 Sophomore Culver City, CA Transferred to Southern Utah[7]
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[]

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
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:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:3/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
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:4/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
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:5/5 stars   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 89
Brandon Lieb
C 		Deerfield, Illinois Deerfield 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jun 25, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:3/5 stars   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: 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:

  • "2020 Illinois Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

2021 Recruiting Class[]

Roster[]

2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 1 Trent Frazier 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Wellington HS Wellington, FL
F 2 Connor Serven (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr St. Rita HS Bushnell, IL
G/F 3 Jacob Grandison 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Holy Cross Oakland, CA
F 4 Zach Griffith (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Fisher HS Fisher, IL
G 5 André Curbelo 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Long Island Lutheran Vega Baja, P.R.
G 10 Edgar Padilla Jr. (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola Carolina, P.R.
G 11 Ayo Dosunmu (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Morgan Park HS Chicago, IL
C 12 Brandon Lieb 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Deerfield HS Deerfield, IL
F 13 Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr KA Pegasus Lommel, Belgium
F 15 Giorgi Bezhanishvili 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr The Patrick School Rustavi, Georgia
G 20 Da'Monte Williams (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Manual Peoria, IL
C 21 Kofi Cockburn 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 297 lb (135 kg) So Oak Hill Academy Kingston, Jamaica
G 22 Austin Hutcherson Injured 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr Wesleyan New York, NY
G 32 Tyler Underwood (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Oklahoma State Nacogdoches, TX
F 33 Coleman Hawkins 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Prolific Prep Sacramento, CA
C 34 Jermaine Hamlin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Lincoln Community HS Lincoln, IL
G 44 Adam Miller 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Morgan Park HS Peoria, IL
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 10, 2020

Schedule and results[]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
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 Canceled 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 12, 2021
8:00 PM, BTN 		No. 6 at Nebraska W 77–72 OT 14–5
(10–3) 		 31 – Dosunmu   13 – Cockburn   6 – Dosunmu  Pinnacle Bank Arena (0)
Lincoln, NE
February 16, 2021
8:00 PM, BTN 		No. 5 Northwestern
Rivalry 		W 73–66  15–5
(11–3) 		 17 – Cockburn   10 – Cockburn   5 – Tied  State Farm Center (162)
Champaign, IL
February 20, 2021
2:30 PM, FOX 		No. 5 at Minnesota W 94–63  16–5
(12–3) 		 22 – Cockburn   10 – Dosunmu   10 – Dosunmu  Williams Arena (56)
Minneapolis, MN
February 23, 2021
6:00 PM, FS1 		No. 5 at Michigan State L 72–81  16–6
(12–4) 		 22 – Frazier   9 – Dosunmu   5 – Dosunmu  Breslin Center (0)
East Lansing, MI
February 25, 2021
6:00 PM, BTN 		No. 5 Nebraska
Senior Night 		W 86–70  17–6
(13–4) 		 24 – Cockburn   12 – Curbelo   8 – Curbelo  State Farm Center (192)
Champaign,IL
February 27, 2021
1:00 PM, ESPN 		No. 5 at No. 23 Wisconsin W 74–69  18–6
(14–4) 		 19 – Cockburn   8 – Grandison   4 – Tied  Kohl Center (0)
Madison, WI
March 2, 2021
6:00 PM, ESPN 		No. 4 at No. 2 Michigan W 76–53  19–6
(15–4) 		 22 – Frazier   7 – Cockburn   5 – Grandison  Crisler Center (94)
Ann Arbor, MI
March 6, 2021
3:00 PM, ESPN 		No. 4 at No. 7 Ohio State W 73–68  20–6
(16–4) 		 19 – Tie   6 – Tie   6 – Curbelo  Value City Arena 
Columbus, OH
Big Ten Tournament
March 12, 2021
5:30 PM, BTN 		(2) No. 3 vs. (7) Rutgers
Quarterfinals 		W 90–68  21–6
  23 – Dosunmu   12 – Cockburn   6 – Dosunmu  Lucas Oil Stadium (7,735)
Indianapolis, IN
March 13, 2021
2:30 PM, CBS 		(2) No. 3 vs. (3) No. 5 Iowa
Semifinals 		W 82–71  22–6
  26 – Cockburn   9 – Williams   9 – Dosunmu  Lucas Oil Stadium (8,000)
Indianapolis, IN
March 14, 2021
2:30 PM, CBS 		(2) No. 3 vs. (5) No. 9 Ohio State
Championship 		W 91–88 OT 23–6
  16 – Tied   9 – Tied   5 – Curbelo  Lucas Oil Stadium (8,000)
Indianapolis, IN
NCAA Tournament
March 19, 2021
12:15 PM, TBS 		(1 MW) No. 2 vs. (16 MW) Drexel
First Round 		W 78–49  24–6
  18 – Cockburn   10 – Dosunmu   6 – Dosunmu  Indiana Farmers Coliseum (968)
Indianapolis, IN
March 21, 2021
11:10 AM, CBS 		(1 MW) No. 2 vs. (8 MW) No. 17 Loyola–Chicago
Second Round 		L 58–71  24–7
  21 – Cockburn   9 – Cockburn   7 – Curbelo  Bankers Life Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[8]

Rankings[]

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking.
NR = Not ranked. RV = Received votes. т = Tied with team above or below. ( ) = First place votes.
Week
Poll Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 Final 
AP 8 5 6 13 18 15 12 14 22 19 12 6 5 5 4 3 2 Not released 
Coaches 10 10^ 9 13 18 16 12 13 24 22 13 6 5 4 4 3 2 8

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References[]

  1. ^ "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
  2. ^ 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.
  3. ^ "Illinois' Dosunmu declares for NBA draft". ESPN.com. 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ "Cockburn returning to Illinois for sophomore year". ESPN.com. 2020-08-01. Retrieved 2021-03-10.
  6. ^ Cobb, David. "Syracuse lands prized Illinois transfer Alan Griffin, son of Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin". cbssports.com. Retrieved 2020-04-05.
  7. ^ joey.wagner@lee.net, JOEY WAGNER. "Illinois sophomore Tevian Jones enters transfer portal". Herald-Review.com. Retrieved 2020-05-12.
  8. ^ "2021-22 Men's Basketball Schedule".
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