2019–20 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 2019–20 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by third-year head coach Brad Underwood, the Illini played their home games at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference. The Illini finished the season 21–10, 13–7 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. Their season ended following the cancellation of postseason tournaments due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[1]

2019–20 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 22
APNo. 21
2019–20 record21–10 (13–7 Big Ten)
Head coachBrad Underwood (3rd season)
Assistant coaches
Home arenaState Farm Center
2019–20 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
No. 17 Wisconsin14–6 .700  21–10  .677
No. 9 Michigan State14–6 .700  22–9  .710
No. 12 Maryland14–6 .700  24–7  .774
No. 21 Illinois13–7 .650  21–10  .677
No. 25 Iowa11–9 .550  20–11  .645
Penn State11–9 .550  21–10  .677
No. 19 Ohio State11–9 .550  21–10  .677
Rutgers11–9 .550  20–11  .645
Michigan10–10 .500  19–12  .613
Purdue9–11 .450  16–15  .516
Indiana9–11 .450  20–12  .625
Minnesota8–12 .400  15–16  .484
Northwestern3–17 .150  8–23  .258
Nebraska2–18 .100  7–25  .219
As of March 18, 2020; Rankings from AP Poll
Note: The 2020 Big Ten Tournament was canceled prior to the second round due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous season

The Illini finished the 2018–19 season 12–21, 7–13 in Big Ten play and finished in a three-way tie for 10th place. Due to the tie-breaking rules, they received the No. 11 seed in the Big Ten Tournament where they defeated Northwestern in the first round before losing to Iowa in the second round.[2]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownNotes
Drew Cayce3G6'1"175RS JuniorLibertyville, ILGraduated
Adonis de La Rosa12C7'0"265RS SeniorBronx, NYGraduated
Anthony Higgs22F6'8"215FreshmanBaltimore, MDTransferred
Aaron Jordan23G6'5"210SeniorPlainfield, ILGraduated
Samba Kane34C7'0"220FreshmanDakar, SenegalTransferred

2019 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk
PF		 Lommel, Belgium KA Pegasus 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jun 8, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
Kofi Cockburn
C		 Kingston, Jamaica Christ the King (NY) / Oak Hill Academy (VA) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 290 lb (130 kg) Jan 6, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 89
Jermaine Hamlin
C		 Lincoln, Illinois Lincoln 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Aug 20, 2019 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: NR
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:

  • "2019 Illinois Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "2019 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

    Future recruits

    2020–21 team recruits
    US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
    Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
    André Curbelo
    PG    		 Vega Baja, Puerto Rico Long Island Lutheran (NY) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Nov 1, 2019 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 83
    Coleman Hawkins
    PF    		 Windsor, California Prolific Prep 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sep 21, 2019 
    Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   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:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 89
    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
      2019–20 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
      PlayersCoaches
      Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
      G 0 Alan Griffin 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)195 lb (88 kg) SoOak Park and River Forest HS/Archbishop Stepinac HS White Plains, New York
      G 1 Trent Frazier 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)175 lb (79 kg) JrWellington High School (FL) West Palm Beach, Florida
      F 2 Kipper Nichols 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) RS SrSt. Edward High School (OH) Cleveland, Ohio
      G/F 3 Jacob Grandison  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)220 lb (100 kg) JrPhillips Exeter Academy / Holy Cross Oakland, California
      F 4 Zach Griffith (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrFisher High School Fisher, Illinois
      F 5 Tevian Jones 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)205 lb (93 kg) SoCulver City High School Culver City, California
      G 10 Andrés Feliz 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)195 lb (88 kg) SrWest Oaks Academy/Northwest Florida State Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
      G 11 Ayo Dosunmu 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) SoMorgan Park High School Chicago, Illinois
      F 13 Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk   6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)220 lb (100 kg) FrKA Pegasus]] Lommel, Belgium
      F 15 Giorgi Bezhanishvili 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) SoSt. Patrick High School Rustavi, Georgia
      G 20 Da'Monte Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrManual High School Peoria, Illinois
      C 21 Kofi Cockburn 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)290 lb (132 kg) FrOak Hill Academy (VA) Kingston, Jamaica
      G 22 Austin Hutcherson  6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)175 lb (79 kg) JrHun School of Princeton / Wesleyan New York City
      G 32 Tyler Underwood (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)180 lb (82 kg) GSNacogdoches High School / Oklahoma State Nacogdoches, Texas
      F/C 34 Jermaine Hamlin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)240 lb (109 kg) FrLincoln Lincoln, Illinois
      G 35 Samson Oladimeji (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)210 lb (95 kg) SrWilliam Fremd High School Rolling Meadows, Illinois
      Head coach
      Assistant coach(es)
      Legend
      • (C) Team captain
      • (S) Suspended
      • (I) Ineligible
      • (W) Walk-on

      Roster
      Last update: November 6, 2019

      Schedule and results
      Date
      time, TV      		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
      city, state
      Exhibition
      November 1, 2019*
      8:00 p.m., BTN Plus      		 Lewis W 83–50  0–0
      		  16 – Cockburn  11 – Cockburn  4 – Dosunmu  State Farm Center (12,867)
      Champaign, IL
      Regular season
      November 5, 2019*
      7:00 p.m., BTN Plus      		 Nicholls W 78–70 OT 1–0
      		  23 – Feliz  11 – Tied  4 – Frazier  State Farm Center (10,034)
      Champaign, IL
      November 8, 2019*
      8:00 pm, WCIX      		 at Grand Canyon W 83–71  2–0
      		  23 – Cockburn  14 – Cockburn  6 – Dosunmu  GCU Arena (7,498)
      Phoenix, AZ
      November 10, 2019*
      8:00 p.m., P12N      		 at No. 21 Arizona L 69–90  2–1
      		  15 – Dosunmu  10 – Feliz  4 – Dosunmu  McKale Center (13,780)
      Tucson, AZ
      November 18, 2019*
      7:00 p.m., ESPNU      		 Hawaii
      O’ahu Classic      		 W 66–53  3–1
      		  15 – Cockburn  14 – Cockburn  5 – Feliz  State Farm Center (11,589)
      Champaign, IL
      November 20, 2019*
      8:00 p.m., BTN      		 The Citadel
      O’ahu Classic      		 W 85–57  4–1
      		  18 – Cockburn  17 – Cockburn  5 – Frazier  State Farm Center (11,196)
      Champaign, IL
      November 23, 2019*
      7:00 p.m., BTN Plus      		 Hampton
      O’ahu Classic      		 W 120–71  5–1
      		  20 – Dosunmu  13 – Cockburn  5 – Tied  State Farm Center (9,732)
      Champaign, IL
      November 26, 2019*
      7:00 pm, BTN Plus      		 Lindenwood
      O’ahu Classic      		 W 117–65  6–1
      		  24 – Dosunmu  8 – Cockburn  9 – Feliz  State Farm Center (9,712)
      Champaign, IL
      December 2, 2019*
      6:00 p.m., ESPN2      		 Miami (FL)
      ACC–Big Ten Challenge      		 L 79–81  6–2
      		  23 – Cockburn  8 – Bezhanishvili  5 – Bezhanishvili  State Farm Center (11,819)
      Champaign, IL
      December 7, 2019
      4:00 p.m., ESPN2      		 at No. 3 Maryland L 58–59  6–3
      (0–1)      		  13 – Frazier  8 – Tied  3 – Dosunmu  Xfinity Center (16,690)
      College Park, MD
      December 11, 2019
      8:00 p.m., BTN      		 No. 5 Michigan W 71–62  7–3
      (1–1)      		  19 – Cockburn  10 – Cockburn  3 – Dosunmu  State Farm Center (13,277)
      Champaign, IL
      December 14, 2019*
      5:00 p.m., BTN      		 Old Dominion W 69–55  8–3
      		  15 – Griffin  9 – Cockburn  4 – Bezhanishvili  State Farm Center (13,276)
      Champaign, IL
      December 21, 2019*
      12:00 pm, SECN      		 vs. Missouri
      Braggin' Rights      		 L 56–63  8–4
      		  21 – Dosunmu  6 – Griffin  2 – Bezhanishvili  Enterprise Center (15,259)
      St. Louis, MO
      December 29, 2019*
      1:00 p.m., ESPNU      		 North Carolina A&T W 95–64  9–4
      		  26 – Cockburn  9 – Cockburn  5 – Bezhanishvili  State Farm Center (13,676)
      Champaign, IL
      January 2, 2020
      7:00 p.m., FS1      		 at No. 14 Michigan State L 56–76  9–5
      (1–2)      		  18 – Dosunmu  9 – Cockburn  4 – Frazier  Breslin Student Events Center (14,797)
      East Lansing, MI
      January 5, 2020
      7:00 p.m., FS1      		 Purdue W 63–37  10–5
      (2–2)      		  16 – Griffin  12 – Griffin  6 – Feliz  State Farm Center (12,153)
      Champaign, IL
      January 8, 2020
      8:00 p.m., BTN      		 at Wisconsin W 71–70  11–5
      (3–2)      		  18 – Dosunmu  6 – Cockburn  6 – Dosunmu  Kohl Center (16,108)
      Madison, WI
      January 11, 2020
      11:00 a.m., BTN      		 Rutgers W 54–51  12–5
      (4–2)      		  18 – Dosunmu  17 – Cockburn  2 – Tied  State Farm Center (11,070)
      Champaign, IL
      January 18, 2020
      4:00 p.m., BTN      		 No. 24 Northwestern W 75–71  13–5
      (5–2)      		  16 – Frazier  7 – Cockburn  6 – Dosunmu  State Farm Center (14,131)
      Champaign, IL
      January 21, 2020
      6:00 p.m., ESPNU      		 No. 21 at Purdue W 79–62  14–5
      (6–2)      		  22 – Cockburn  15 – Cockburn  11 – Dosunmu  Mackey Arena (14,804)
      West Lafayette, IN
      January 25, 2020
      11:00 a.m., FS1      		 No. 21 at Michigan W 64–62  15–5
      (7–2)      		  27 – Dosunmu  7 – Dosunmu  2 – Dosunmu  Crisler Center (12,707)
      Ann Arbor, MI
      January 30, 2020
      6:30 p.m., FS1      		 No. 19 Minnesota W 59–51  16–5
      (8–2)      		  17 – Feliz  10 – Cockburn  4 – Bezhanishvili  State Farm Center (15,544)
      Champaign, IL
      February 2, 2020
      12:00 p.m., FS1      		 No. 19 at No. 18 Iowa
      Rivalry      		 L 65–72  16–6
      (8–3)      		  17 – Feliz  6 – Tied  3 – Dosunmu  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,056)
      Iowa City, IA
      February 7, 2020
      7:00 p.m., FS1      		 No. 20 No. 9 Maryland L 66–75  16–7
      (8–4)      		  16 – Dosunmu  9 – Griffin  4 – Dosunmu  State Farm Center (15,544)
      Champaign, IL
      February 11, 2020
      8:00 p.m., ESPN      		 No. 22 Michigan State L 69–70  16–8
      (8–5)      		  17 – Dosunmu  9 – Dosunmu  4 – Frazier  State Farm Center (15,544)
      Champaign, IL
      February 15, 2020
      3:30 p.m., BTN      		 No. 22 at Rutgers L 57–72  16–9
      (8–6)      		  14 – Griffin  10 – Cockburn  4 – Feliz  Louis Brown Athletic Center (8,000)
      Piscataway, NJ
      February 18, 2020
      5:30 p.m., FS1      		 at No. 9 Penn State W 62–56  17–9
      (9–6)      		  24 – Dosunmu  7 – Tied  4 – Williams  Bryce Jordan Center (9,506)
      University Park, PA
      February 24, 2020
      7:00 p.m., BTN      		 Nebraska W 71–59  18–9
      (10–6)      		  18 – Dosunmu  10 – Cockburn  3 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,354)
      Champaign, IL
      February 27, 2020
      7:00 p.m., BTN      		 at Northwestern W 74–66  19–9
      (11–6)      		  24 – Griffin  14 – Cockburn  7 – Feliz  Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039)
      Evanston, IL
      March 1, 2020
      1:00 p.m., BTN      		 Indiana
      Rivalry      		 W 67–66  20–9
      (12–6)      		  17 – Dosunmu  7 – Feliz  4 – Feliz  State Farm Center (15,554)
      Champaign, IL
      March 5, 2020
      6:00 p.m., ESPN      		 No. 23 at No. 19 Ohio State L 63–71  20–10
      (12–7)      		  21 – Dosunmu  11 – Feliz  5 – Dosunmu  Value City Arena (16,382)
      Columbus, OH
      March 8, 2020
      6:00 p.m., BTN      		 No. 23 No. 18 Iowa
      Rivalry      		 W 78–76  21–10
      (13–7)      		  17 – Dosunmu  8 – Cockburn  8 – Dosunmu  State Farm Center (15,554)
      Champaign, IL
      Big Ten Tournament
      Canceled
      NCAA Tournament
      Canceled
      *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
      All times are in Eastern Time.

      Source[3]

      Rankings
      See also: 2019–20 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 17 18 Final 
      AP RV RV NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 24 21 19 20 22 RV RV 23 21 21 
      Coaches RV NR NR NR NR NR NR RV NR NR RV 22 19 21 23 RV RV 22-T 22 22

      *AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings

      References
      1. "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2020-03-16.
      2. Greenberg, Steve. "Big Ten tourney: Illinois sinks like a stone in season-ending 83–62 loss to Iowa". Retrieved 24 March 2019.
      3. https://fightingillini.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball
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