2016–17 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team American college basketball season
2016–17 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented 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 played their home games at State Farm Center as members of the Big Ten Conference . They finished the season 20–15, 8–10 in Big Ten play to finish in ninth 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 defeated Valparaiso and Boise State before losing in the Quarterfinals to UCF .
On March 11, 2017, Illinois fired head coach John Groce.[ 1] [ 2] Jamall Walker would coach the team in the NIT.[ 3] Brad Underwood as the new head coach.[ 4]
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 .
Offseason
Departures
Incoming transfers
College recruiting information
Name
Hometown
High school / college
Height
Weight
Commit date
Drew Cayce[ 6] PG Libertyville, IL
La Lumiere (IN) / Creighton
6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
165 lb (75 kg)
Jul 21, 2016
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:
2016 recruiting class
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.[ 7] [ 8] [ 9]
Roster
2016–17 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players
Coaches
Pos.
#
Name
Height
Weight
Year
Previous school
Hometown
G 0
D. J. Williams 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg)
So Simeon Academy
Chicago, Illinois
G 1
Jaylon Tate 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg)
Sr Simeon Academy
Chicago, Illinois
F 2
Kipper Nichols 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg)
Fr St. Edward High School (OH)
Cleveland, Ohio
G 3
Te'Jon Lucas 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg)
Fr Washington High School (WI)
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
G 5
Jalen Coleman-Lands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg)
So La Lumiere School
Indianapolis, Indiana
G 10
Drew Cayce (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg)
So La Lumiere School
Libertyville, Illinois
F 12
Leron Black 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
RS So White Station High School
Memphis, Tennessee
G 13
Tracy Abrams (C)
6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg)
GS Mount Carmel High School
Chicago, Illinois
G 21
Malcolm Hill (C)
6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg)
Sr Belleville High School-East
Fairview Heights, Illinois
C 22
Maverick Morgan 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 245 lb (111 kg)
Sr Springboro High School
Springboro, Ohio
G 23
Aaron Jordan 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg)
So Plainfield East High School
Plainfield, Illinois
C 33
Mike Thorne Jr. 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 280 lb (127 kg)
GS Trinity Christian/UNC-Charlotte
Fayetteville, North Carolina
G 35
Samson Oladimeji (W)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg)
Fr William Fremd High School
Rolling Meadows, Illinois
G 41
Clayton Jones (W)
6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg)
Jr Champaign Central High School
Champaign, Illinois
F 43
Michael Finke 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 230 lb (104 kg)
RS So Centennial High School (IL)
Champaign, Illinois
G 44
Alex Austin (W)
6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg)
RS Sr Mount Carmel High School/Eastern Illinois
Chicago, Illinois
F 45
Cameron Liss (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg)
Jr Glenbrook North High School
Northbrook, Illinois
Head coach Assistant coach(es) Legend (C) Team captain(S) Suspended(I) Ineligible(W) Walk-on Roster
Schedule and results
Source:[ 10]
Date
Rank#
Opponent#
Result
Record
High points
High rebounds
High assists
Site (attendance)
Exhibition
Oct 30, 2016 *2:00 pm, BTN+
WashU W 82–75 20 – Morgan
6 – Hill
5 – Tate
State Farm Center 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 Brooklyn, NY
Nov 25, 2016 *11:30 am, ESPNU
vs. No. 25 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 W 64–46 6–3
18 – Black
8 – Black
5 – Hill
American Airlines Arena Miami, FL
Dec 6, 2016 *7:00 pm, ESPN3
IUPUI W 85–77 7–3
32 – Hill
9 – Black
6 – Abrams
State Farm Center (10,536)Champaign, IL
Dec 10, 2016 *2:00 pm, BTN+
Central Michigan W 92–73 8–3
31 – Abrams
11 – Thorne, Jr.
5 – Tate
State Farm Center (13,045)Champaign, IL
Dec 17, 2016 *8:30 pm, BTN
vs. BYU State Farm Chicago Legends W 75–73 9–3
15 – Abrams
10 – Morgan
5 – Tate
United Center Chicago, IL
Dec 21, 2016 *6:00 pm, ESPNU
vs. Missouri Braggin' Rights W 75–66 10–3
21 – Hill
11 – Morgan
6 – Tate
Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO
Big Ten regular season
Dec 27, 2016 4:00 pm, ESPN2
at Maryland
L 59–84 10–4
21 – Hill
7 – Hill
2 – Tied
Xfinity Center College Park, MD
Jan 1, 2017 6:00 pm, BTN
Ohio State W 75–70 11–4
20 – Hill
15 – Black
3 – Hill
State Farm Center (12,221)Champaign, IL
Jan 7, 2017 4:00 pm, ESPNU
at No. 25 Indiana Rivalry L 80–96 11–5
21 – Tied
4 – Tied
4 – Lucas
Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN
Jan 11, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN
Michigan W 85–69 12–5
16 – Morgan
8 – Nichols
8 – Lucas
State Farm Center (11,404)Champaign, IL
Jan 14, 2017 5:00 pm, ESPN2
Maryland L 56–62 12–6
15 – Morgan
4 – Lucas
9 – Black
State Farm Center (14,002)Champaign, IL
Jan 17, 2017 6:00 pm, BTN
at No. 21 Purdue
L 68–91 12–7
15 – Morgan
6 – Black
5 – Hill
Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN
Jan 21, 2017 1:15 pm, BTN
at Michigan
L 57–66 12–8
16 – Hill
5 – Hill
4 – Hill
Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI
Jan 25, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN
Iowa Rivalry W 76–64 13–8
17 – Finke
7 – Tied
6 – Lucas
State Farm Center (11,787)Champaign, IL
Jan 28, 2017 3:30 pm, BTN
at Penn State
L 67–71 13–9
19 – Hill
7 – Tied
7 – Hill
Bryce Jordan Center University Park, PA
Jan 31, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN
No. 10 Wisconsin
L 43–57 13–10
10 – Tied
4 – 4 Tied
2 – 3 Tied
State Farm Center (12,334)Champaign, IL
Feb 4, 2017 3:30 pm, BTN
Minnesota L 59-68 13-11
16 – Nichols
11 – Morgan
6 – Hill
State Farm Center (15,544)Champaign, IL
Feb 7, 2017 7:00 pm, BTN
at Northwestern Rivalry W 68–61 14–11
14 – Hill
9 – Hill
6 – Lucas
Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL
Feb 11, 2017 1:00 pm, BTN
Penn State L 70–83 14–12
14 – Hill
5 – Finke
7 – Lucas
State Farm Center (13,010)Champaign, IL
Feb 18, 2017 1:00 pm, BTN
at Iowa Rivalry W 70–66 15–12
21 – Hill
8 – Hill
5 – Finke
Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA
Feb 21, 2017 7:00 pm, BTN
Northwestern Rivalry W 66–50 16–12
18 – Hill
10 – Morgan
5 – Hill
State Farm Center (11,206)Champaign, IL
Feb 26, 2017 6:30 pm, BTN
at Nebraska
W 73–57 17–12
19 – Hill
5 – Black
6 – Abrams
Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE
Mar 1, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN
Michigan State W 73–70 18–12
22 – Hill
7 – Black
4 – Hill
State Farm Center (15,544)Champaign, IL
Mar 4, 2017 11:00 am, ESPNU
at Rutgers
L 59–62 18–13
16 – Morgan
8 – Morgan
7 – Hill
Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ
Big Ten tournament
Mar 9, 2017 12:00 pm, BTN
(9)
vs. (8) Michigan Second Round L 55–75 18–14
23 – Abrams
7 – Finke
3 – Lucas
Verizon Center Washington, D.C.
NIT
Mar 14, 2017 *6:15 pm, ESPN2
(2)
(7) Valparaiso First Round – Illinois State Bracket W 82–57 19–14
25 – Hill
12 – Black
6 – Lucas
State Farm Center (4,719)Champaign, IL
Mar 20, 2017 *8:00 pm, ESPN
(2)
(6) Boise State Second Round – Illinois State Bracket W 71–56 20–14
18 – Abrams
10 – Black
7 – Lucas
State Farm Center (5,713)Champaign, IL
Mar 22, 2017 *6:00 pm, ESPN2
(2)
at (4) UCF Quarterfinals – Illinois State Bracket L 58–68 20–15
29 – Hill
7 – Black
6 – Lucas
CFE Arena Orlando, FL
*Non-conference game.
# Rankings from
AP Poll . (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in
Central Time .
References
^ Ryan, Shannon. "Illinois fires men's basketball coach John Groce after five seasons" . chicagotribune.com . Retrieved March 13, 2017 . ^ "Illinois fires John Groce after 37-53 Big Ten mark in five seasons" . CBSSports.com . Retrieved March 13, 2017 .^ Vainisi, Jim (March 12, 2017). "Illinois receives 2 seed, will host Valparaiso in First Round" . The Champaign Room . Retrieved March 17, 2017 . ^
Smith, Erick (March 18, 2017). "Illinois hires Oklahoma State's Brad Underwood as new coach" . USA TODAY . Retrieved April 4, 2017 .
^ Paul, Tony (June 23, 2016). "Ex-Illinois star Nunn to join Golden Grizzlies" . Detroit News . Retrieved June 23, 2016 . ^ Vainisi, Jim (July 21, 2016). "Creighton guard Drew Cayce is transferring to Illinois Basketball as a walk-on" . SB Nation . Retrieved July 27, 2016 . ^ Ryan, Shannon (November 11, 2015). "Four-star point guard Te'Jon Lucas signs with Illinois" . Chicago Tribune. Retrieved November 30, 2015 . ^ Stewart, Mark (September 16, 2015). "Washington basketball star Te'Jon Lucas commits to Illinois" . Journal Sentinel. Retrieved November 30, 2015 . ^ Jackson, Marcus (September 16, 2015). "Te'Jon Lucas: 'We'll be celebrating' . News Gazette. Retrieved November 30, 2015 . ^ "2016-17 Men's Basketball Schedule" .
Venues Rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons Helms and Premo-Porretta national championships in bold; NCAA Final Four appearances in italics
