2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team American college basketball season
The 2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season . Led by third-year head coach John Groce , the Illini played their home games at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference . They finished the season 19–14, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for seventh place. They lost in the second round of the Big Ten tournament to Michigan . They received an invitation to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost in the first round to Alabama .
Previous season
The Illini finished the 2013–14 season 20–15, 7–11 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They received a bid to the NIT where they advanced to the second round before losing to Clemson .
Offseason
Departures
2014 recruiting class
Leron Black joined the Fighting Illini as the first recruit from the Memphis, Tennessee area since the 1997–98 season when Cory Bradford suited up for the Fighting Illini.[ 1] Tennessee Mr. Basketball and is Illinois' highest rated recruit since Portland Trail Blazers Forward-center Meyers Leonard .[ 2]
Michael Finke joins Rayvonte Rice as the second player on the Fighting Illini roster from Centennial High School in Champaign, Illinois . Finke also follows the footsteps of his father, Jeff Finke, who lettered in basketball as a forward for the 1986–87 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team and then lettered in football as a tight end for the Fighting Illini from 1988–1990.[ 3] [ 4]
Walk-ons
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Alex Austin G
Chicago, IL
Mount Carmel / Eastern Illinois
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Jul 1, 2014
Star ratings :Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A ESPN :
Cameron Liss F
Northbrook, IL
Glenbrook North
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
Jul 1, 2014
Star ratings :Rivals : N/A 247Sports : N/A
Ryan Schmidt G
Bloomington, IL
Bloomington Central Catholic
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
Jan 23, 2015
Star ratings :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:
Roster
2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G 1
Jaylon Tate 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg)
So Simeon High School
Chicago, IL
G 3
Ahmad Starks (C)
5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg)
RS Sr Whitney Young High School
Chicago, IL
G 10
Mike LaTulip 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 lb (77 kg)
Jr Prospect High School
Arlington Heights, IL
G 11
Aaron Cosby (S)
6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg)
RS Jr Northfield Mount Hermon School /Seton Hall
Louisville, KY
F 12
Leron Black 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
Fr White Station High School
Memphis, TN
G 13
Tracy Abrams (C) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
Sr Mount Carmel High School
Chicago, IL
G 14
Ryan Schmidt (W)
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
Sr Bloomington Central Catholic High School
Bloomington, IL
G 21
Malcolm Hill 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 230 lb (104 kg)
So Belleville High School-East
Belleville, IL
C 22
Maverick Morgan 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 250 lb (113 kg)
So Springboro High School
Springboro, OH
G 24
Rayvonte Rice (C)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg)
RS Sr Centennial High School /Drake
Champaign, IL
G 25
Kendrick Nunn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg)
So Simeon High School
Chicago, IL
F 31
Austin Colbert 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 210 lb (95 kg)
So Gill St. Bernard's School
Chesapeake, VA
F/C 32
Nnanna Egwu (C)
6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 250 lb (113 kg)
Sr St. Ignatius High School
Chicago, IL
F 43
Michael Finke 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg)
Fr Centennial High School
Champaign, IL
G 44
Alex Austin (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
Jr Mount Carmel High School
Chicago, IL
F 45
Cameron Liss (W)
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg)
Fr Glenbrook North High School
Northbrook, IL
Head coach Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) Ineligible(W) Walk-on Roster
Depth chart
Pos.
Starting 5
Bench 1
Bench 2
Bench 3
F/C Nnanna Egwu
Maverick Morgan
F Malcolm Hill
Leron Black
Austin Colbert
Cameron Liss
G Rayvonte Rice
G Kendrick Nunn
Ryan Schmidt
G Jaylon Tate
Ahmad Starks
Mike LaTulip
[ 5]
Regular season
Injuries
On September 11, it was announced that senior point guard Tracy Abrams suffered a torn ACL to his right knee during preseason workouts which will cause him to miss the entire 2014–15 season. The injury forced Abrams to use a medical redshirt so he can return for the 2015–16 season.[ 6] Big Ten Conference play , it was announced on January 6 that redshirt senior guard Rayvonte Rice suffered a broken bone in his left hand during practice and would be sidelined indefinitely. At the time of his injury, Rice was Illinois' leader in scoring , rebounds , and steals .[ 7] Purdue at home on January 21. Redshirt junior guard Aaron Cosby suffered a retinal tear after being poked in the eye in his left eye during a home loss to Indiana . Cosby underwent laser surgery to repair the tear, which will sideline him up to two weeks.[ 8]
Student-manager turned walk-on
On January 23, 2014 head coach John Groce announced the addition of former student-manager Ryan Schmidt to the roster as a walk-on guard after a string of injuries at the position. Schmidt is a senior from Bloomington, Illinois and played high school basketball at Bloomington Central Catholic .[ 9]
Aaron Cosby
On February 20, 2015 coach Groce announced that he and redshirt junior guard Aaron Cosby have mutually decided to part ways. Cosby had not played in over a month since suffering an injury to his left eye against Indiana on January 18. While recovering from his injury, he and Rayvonte Rice were indefinitely suspended from play due to a violation of team rules on January 31. Rice returned from suspension in a home win against Michigan, however Cosby remained suspended. Despite no longer being on the roster, Cosby intends to remain enrolled at Illinois and then transfer to another school after graduating in May. Cosby previously played his first two years for Seton Hall and sat out during the 2013–14 season after transferring to Illinois.[ 10] [ 11]
2004-05 national runner-up anniversary
On December 5, 2014, Illinois announced they would be releasing commemorative bobbleheads to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the 2004-05 Fighting Illini team .[ 12] 2005 National Runner-up with a 37–2 record, which tied the NCAA record for most wins in a season. During weeknight Big Ten Conference play at home, Illinois will release a bobblehead of the starting lineup of Deron Williams , Dee Brown , Luther Head , Roger Powell, Jr. , and James Augustine .[ 13]
Schedule and results
Source:[ 14]
Date
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance)
Exhibition
Nov 7 *7:00 pm
Quincy W 91–62 –
20 – Hill
13 – Egwu
5 – Tied
State Farm Center Champaign, IL
Non-conference regular season
Nov 14 *8:00 pm, ESPN3
Georgia Southern W 80–71 1–0
24 – Rice
7 – Hill
3 – Tied
State Farm Center (15,626)Champaign, IL
Nov 16 *5:00 pm
Coppin State W 114–56 2–0
18 – Tied
9 – Hill
7 – Tate
State Farm Center (12,272)Champaign, IL
Nov 21 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
Austin Peay Las Vegas Invitational W 107–66 3–0
16 – Tied
6 – Tied
5 – Tate
State Farm Center (16,337)Champaign, IL
Nov 24 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
Brown Las Vegas Invitational W 89–68 4–0
17 – Cosby
10 – Rice
4 – Tied
State Farm Center (11,422)Champaign, IL
Nov 27 *4:00 pm, FS1
vs. Indiana State Las Vegas Invitational Semifinals W 88–62 5–0
21 – Rice
8 – Tied
4 – Cosby
Orleans Arena Paradise, NV
Nov 28 *9:30 pm, FS1
vs. Baylor Las Vegas Invitational Championship W 62–54 6–0
17 – Tied
8 – Egwu
5 – Starks
Orleans Arena (N/A)Paradise, NV
Dec 2 *8:00 pm, ESPN2
No. 24
at No. 15 Miami (FL) ACC–Big Ten Challenge L 61–70 6–1
22 – Rice
12 – Rice
3 – Hill
BankUnited Center Coral Gables, FL
Dec 6 *1:00 pm, ESPN3
No. 24
American W 70–55 7–1
13 – Hill
7 – Egwu
4 – Tate
State Farm Center (13,924)Champaign, IL
Dec 9 *6:00 pm, ESPN
vs. No. 7 Villanova Jimmy V Classic L 59–73 7–2
20 – Hill
9 – Egwu
4 – Starks
Madison Square Garden New York City, NY
Dec 13 *6:00 pm, BTN
vs. Oregon
L 70–77 7–3
29 – Rice
7 – Tied
4 – Tied
United Center Chicago, IL
Dec 17 *6:00 pm, ESPNU
Hampton W 73–55 8–3
16 – Nunn
8 – Black
3 – Tied
State Farm Center (12,564)Champaign, IL
Dec 20 *1:00 pm, ESPN2
vs. Missouri Braggin' Rights W 62–59 9–3
19 – Rice
7 – Tied
3 – Rice
Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO
Dec 27 *8:00 pm, BTN
Kennesaw State W 93–45 10–3
21 – Rice
9 – Hill
7 – Tate
State Farm Center (16,158)Champaign, IL
Big Ten regular season
Dec 30 2:00 pm, ESPN2
at Michigan
L 65–73 OT
10–4
19 – Hill
11 – Rice
6 – Rice
Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI
Jan 3 2:30 pm, ESPN2
at No. 20 Ohio State
L 61–77 10–5
20 – Rice
7 – Rice
4 – Tied
Value City Arena Columbus, OH
Jan 7 8:00 pm, BTN
No. 11 Maryland
W 64–58 11–5
28 – Hill
9 – Egwu
4 – Tate
State Farm Center (12,896)Champaign, IL
Jan 11 7:30 pm, BTN
at Nebraska
L 43–53 11–6
12 – Hill/Nunn
10 – Egwu
2 – Tied
Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE
Jan 14 8:00 pm, BTN
at Northwestern Rivalry W 72–67 12–6
25 – Nunn
6 – Hill
4 – Starks
Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL
Jan 18 12:00 pm, BTN
Indiana Rivalry L 74–80 12–7
24 – Nunn
9 – Black
6 – Starks
State Farm Center (17,085)Champaign, IL
Jan 21 8:00 pm, BTN
Purdue W 66–57 13–7
18 – Hill
13 – Black
6 – Tate
State Farm Center (12,965)Champaign, IL
Jan 24 1:15 pm, BTN
at Minnesota
L 71–79 13–8
18 – Tied
9 – Black
9 – Tate
Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN
Jan 31 12:00 pm, BTN
Penn State W 60–58 14–8
27 – Hill
7 – Black
5 – Tate
State Farm Center (14,597)Champaign, IL
Feb 3 8:30 pm, BTN
Rutgers W 66–54 15–8
21 – Nunn
6 – Nunn
6 – Tate
State Farm Center (12,838)Champaign, IL
Feb 7 11:00 am, ESPN
at Michigan State
W 59–54 16–8
19 – Hill
9 – Egwu
3 – Nunn
Breslin Center East Lansing, MI
Feb 12 8:00 pm, ESPN
Michigan W 64–52 OT
17–8
21 – Nunn
12 – Egwu
4 – Starks
State Farm Center (17,087)Champaign, IL
Feb 15 12:00 pm, CBS
at No. 5 Wisconsin
L 49–68 17–9
15 – Hill
9 – Egwu
2 – Starks
Kohl Center Madison, WI
Feb 22 6:30 pm, BTN
Michigan State L 53–60 17–10
17 – Hill
5 – Rice
3 – Rice
State Farm Center (16,108)Champaign, IL
Feb 25 8:00 pm, BTN
at Iowa Rivalry L 60–68 17–11
20 – Rice
9 – Rice
3 – Nunn
Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA
Feb 28 6:00 pm, BTN
Northwestern Rivalry W 86–60 18–11
19 – Rice
8 – Morgan
3 – Tied
State Farm Center (15,471)Champaign, IL
Mar 4 9:00 pm, BTN
Nebraska W 69–57 19–11
23 – Rice
8 – Egwu
2 – Tied
State Farm Center (17,085)Champaign, IL
Mar 7 3:30 pm, BTN
at Purdue
L 58–63 19–12
25 – Rice
9 – Egwu
2 – Hill
Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN
Big Ten tournament
Mar 12 11:00 am, BTN
(8)
vs. (9) Michigan second round L 55–73 19–13
13 – Hill
9 – Rice
2 – Tate
United Center (16,028)Chicago, IL
NIT
Mar 17 *8:00 pm, ESPN
(3)
at (6) Alabama First round L 58–79 19–14
22 – Hill
8 – Egwu
6 – Hill
Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Central Time .
Honors and awards
On March 9, 2015, The Big Ten Conference announced most of its conference awards.[ 15]
References
^ Martin, John (September 1, 2013). "Recruiting Insider: White Station's Leron Black commits to Illinois" . The Commercial Appeal . Retrieved November 12, 2014 . ^ "Class AAA Mr. Basketball Winner: LeRon Black from White Station High School" . Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. March 15, 2014. Archived from the original on May 20, 2014. Retrieved May 13, 2014 .^ Tupper, Mark (December 13, 2012). "Centenniall's Finke commits to Illinois" . Herald & Review . Retrieved November 12, 2014 . ^ "Jeff Finke" . Sports Reference . 2014. Retrieved November 12, 2014 .^ "Game 17 Notes IlliniHoops at Nebraska" . Archived from the original on April 5, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2015 .^ Parrish, Gary (September 11, 2014). "Illinois point guard Tracy Abrams to miss season with torn ACL" . CBS Sports . Retrieved January 22, 2015 .^ Ryan, Shannon (January 6, 2015). "Rayvonte Rice, Illini's leading scorer, out indefinitely" . Chicago Tribune . Retrieved January 22, 2015 . ^ Johnson, Raphielle (January 21, 2015). "Eye injury to sideline Illinois junior guard up to two weeks" . NBC Sports . Retrieved January 22, 2015 . ^ "Ryan Schmidt" . Illinois DIA. January 23, 2015. Archived from the original on January 23, 2015. Retrieved January 23, 2015 .^ "Illinois guard Aaron Cosby will transfer" . Sports Illustrated . February 20, 2015. Retrieved February 23, 2015 .^ Jackson, Marcus (February 20, 2015). "Groce on Cosby: 'I wish him nothing but the best' . News-Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2015 . ^ Johnson, Raphielle (December 5, 2014). "Illinois to honor starters on 2004-05 national runner-up squad with commemorative bobbleheads" . NBC Sports . Retrieved January 21, 2015 . ^ "2004-05 'Starting 5' bobblehead set commemorates 10-year anniversary of historic season" . Illinois DIA. January 15, 2015. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 21, 2015 .^ "2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule" .^ "2014-15 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team" (PDF) . CSTV.com . March 9, 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 29, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2015 .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
