# 2018–19 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 2018–19 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2018–19 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by second-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 12–21, 7–13 in Big Ten play, to finish in a three-way tie for 10th place. Due to 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.

## Previous season

The Illini finished the 2017–18 season 14–18, 4–14 in Big Ten play to finish in a three-way tie for 11th place. As the No. 13 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they lost in the first round to Iowa.

## Offseason
### Player departures

On March 5, 2018 Mark Smith announced his decision to transfer to a new school, indicating he did not fit into Illinois' system moving forward. On March 15, Leron Black announced his decision to forgoing final year of eligibility to declare for the NBA draft after already graduating with his bachelor's degree. He intended to sign with an agent, ending his collegiate career. On March 26, Te'Jon Lucas and Michael Finke both announced they would transfer to other programs. Lucas announced he would transfer to Milwaukee to complete his two years of remaining eligibility after sitting out for a season. Finke announced he will transfer to Grand Canyon and have one year of immediate eligibility as a graduate transfer. In late April, Matic Vessel left the program and returned to his home country of Slovenia to explore his options to continue basketball. On June 7, 2018 Greg Eboigbodin announced his intent to transfer out of Illinois, which left Illinois with four returning scholarship players from the prior season. Eboigbodin announced on July 30, 2018 that he would transfer to Northeastern University.
| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Te'Jon Lucas | 3 | G | 6'0" | 170 | Sophomore | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Transferred to Milwaukee |
| Matic Vessel | 4 | F | 6'10" | 215 | Freshman | Ljubljana, Slovenia | Left team |
| Greg Eboigbodin | 11 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Freshman | Benin City, Nigeria | Transferred to Northeastern |
| Leron Black | 12 | F | 6'7" | 220 | Redshirt Junior | Memphis, Tennessee | Graduated |
| Mark Smith | 13 | G | 6'5" | 225 | Freshman | Edwardsville, Illinois | Transferred to Missouri |
| Mark Alstork | 24 | G | 6'5" | 190 | Graduate student | Dayton, Ohio | Graduated |
| Clayton Jones | 41 | G | 6'0" | 170 | Redshirt Senior | Champaign, Illinois | Graduated |
| Michael Finke | 43 | F | 6'10" | 230 | Redshirt Junior | Champaign, Illinois | Transferred to Grand Canyon |
| Cameron Liss | 45 | F | 6'6" | 220 | Redshirt Junior | Northbrook, Illinois | Graduated |

### 2018 recruiting class

In October 2017, five-star point guard Ayo Dosunmu verbally committed to Illinois over Wake Forest at the flagship Jordan Brand Store on State Street in the Chicago Loop. Dosunmu signed his National Letter of Intent in November 2017 to attend Illinois. In March 2018, Dosunmu was named one of 26 high school seniors who will participate in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 8, 2018, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Dosunmu is the third Illini to be selected to play in the Jordan Classic, joining Dee Brown who played for the Red team in 2002 and Jalen Coleman-Lands who played in 2015. Dosunmu was also selected to play in the second annual Iverson Roundball Classic All-American Game that took place in April 2018 at Souderton Area High School outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Giorgi Bezhanishvili PF | Vienna, Austria | St. Patrick High School (NJ) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | Mar 26, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 74 ||||||
| Ayo Dosunmu PG | Chicago, IL | Morgan Park High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 172 lb (78 kg) | Oct 19, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 89 ||||||
| Andrés Feliz PG | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | West Oaks Academy/Northwest Florida State College | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Apr 8, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ||||||
| Alan Griffin SG | White Plains, NY | Oak Park and River Forest HS/Archbishop Stepinac HS | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Mar 2, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 75 ||||||
| Anthony Higgs SF | Baltimore, MD | Perry Hall High School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jun 26, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ||||||
| Tevian Jones SF | Culver City, CA | Culver City High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Apr 3, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Samba Kane C | Dakar, Senegal | Regis Jesuit High School/Florida Preparatory Academy | 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Mar 9, 2018 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 83 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 11 247Sports: 24 ||||||
| 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 2018 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018. "ESPN Recruiting Nation Basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018. "2018 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018. "Illinois 2018 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved April 9, 2018. ||||||

## Schedule and results

The season marked the first time in Big Ten history that the teams would play a 20-game conference schedule, setting a precedent for all Division I basketball. The new schedule includes a regional component to increase the frequency of games among teams in similar areas. Over the course of a six-year cycle (12 playing opportunities), in-state rivals will play each other 12 times, regional opponents will play 10 times, and all other teams will play nine times. Three in-state series are guaranteed home-and-homes: Illinois and Northwestern, Indiana and Purdue, and Michigan and Michigan State will always play twice.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| November 2, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Illinois Wesleyan | W 83–67 | – | 20 – Feliz | 7 – Jordan | 5 – Frazier | State Farm Center (13,349) Champaign, IL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 8, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Evansville Maui on the Mainland | W 99–60 | 1–0 | 19 – Jordan | 10 – Bezhanishvili | 7 – Frazier | State Farm Center (11,755) Champaign, IL |
| November 13, 2018* 7:40 pm, FS1 | | Georgetown Gavitt Tipoff Games | L 80–88 | 1–1 | 25 – Dosunmu | 5 – Feliz | 5 – Feliz | State Farm Center (14,656) Champaign, IL |
| November 19, 2018* 10:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 3 Gonzaga Maui Invitational Tournament quarterfinals | L 78–84 | 1–2 | 29 – Frazier | 10 – Jordan | 3 – Tied | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 20, 2018* 3:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Iowa State Maui Invitational Tournament | L 68–84 | 1–3 | 15 – Frazier | 7 – De La Rosa | 3 – Frazier | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 21, 2018* 8:00 pm, ESPNU | | vs. Xavier Maui Invitational Tournament | L 74–83 | 1–4 | 19 – Dosunmu | 6 – De La Rosa | 4 – Jordan | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Lahaina, HI |
| November 25, 2018* 1:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Mississippi Valley State | W 86–67 | 2–4 | 16 – Frazier | 9 – Dosunmu | 9 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (11,706) Champaign, IL |
| November 27, 2018* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | at Notre Dame ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 74–76 | 2–5 | 23 – Jordan | 9 – Dosunmu | 6 – Feliz | Edmund P. Joyce Center (8,053) Notre Dame, IN |
| December 2, 2018 4:00 pm, BTN | | at Nebraska | L 60–75 | 2–6 (0–1) | 14 – Bezhanishvili | 6 – Bezhanishvili | 4 – Frazier | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,764) Lincoln, NE |
| December 5, 2018 6:00 pm, BTN | | vs. No. 19 Ohio State | L 67–77 | 2–7 (0–2) | 18 – Tied | 6 – Williams | 4 – Dosunmu | United Center (5,285) Chicago, IL |
| December 8, 2018* 1:00 pm, BTN | | UNLV | W 77–74 | 3–7 | 19 – Feliz | 7 – Jordan | 3 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (12,268) Champaign, IL |
| December 15, 2018* 1:00 pm, BTN Plus | | East Tennessee State | W 77–53 | 4–7 | 25 – Frazier | 10 – Jordan | 5 – Frazier | State Farm Center (12,379) Champaign, IL |
| December 22, 2018* 7:00 pm, BTN | | vs. Missouri Braggin' Rights | L 63–79 | 4–8 | 28 – Frazier | 7 – Bezhanishvili | 2 – Bezhanishvili | Enterprise Center (16,397) St. Louis, MO |
| December 29, 2018* 2:00 pm, BTN Plus | | Florida Atlantic | L 71–73 $^{OT}$ | 4–9 | 21 – Dosumnu | 8 – Tied | 4 – Tied | State Farm Center (12,539) Champaign, IL |
| January 3, 2019 6:00 pm, FS1 | | at No. 21 Indiana Rivalry | L 65–73 | 4–10 (0–3) | 20 – Dosunmu | 7 – Bezhanishvili | 6 – Frazier | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (14,832) Bloomington, IN |
| January 6, 2019 12:00 pm, BTN | | at Northwestern Rivalry | L 66–68 | 4–11 (0–4) | 18 – Dosunmu | 6 – Nichols | 3 – Tied | Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| January 10, 2019 7:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 2 Michigan | L 69–79 | 4–12 (0–5) | 23 – Dosunmu | 7 – Dosunmu | 4 – Nichols | State Farm Center (10,770) Champaign, IL |
| January 16, 2019 8:00 pm, BTN | | Minnesota | W 95–68 | 5–12 (1–5) | 23 – Dosunmu | 8 – Bezhanishvili | 2 – Tied | State Farm Center (11,503) Champaign, IL |
| January 20, 2019 12:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 23 Iowa Rivalry | L 71–95 | 5–13 (1–6) | 15 – Dosunmu | 7 – Bezhanishvili | 6 – Dosunmu | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,589) Iowa City, IA |
| January 23, 2019 8:00 pm, BTN | | Wisconsin | L 60–72 | 5–14 (1–7) | 20 – Bezhanishvili | 8 – Bezhanishvili | 4 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (12,294) Champaign, IL |
| January 26, 2019 11:00 am, BTN | | vs. No. 13 Maryland B1G Super Saturday | W 78–67 | 6–14 (2–7) | 20 – Dosunmu | 6 – Tied | 6 – Dosunmu | Madison Square Garden (7,239) New York, NY |
| January 30, 2019 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Minnesota | L 75–86 | 6–15 (2–8) | 30 – Frazier | 6 – Dosunmu | 4 – Dosunmu | Williams Arena (9,565) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 2, 2019 1:15 pm, BTN | | Nebraska | W 71–64 | 7–15 (3–8) | 18 – Nichols | 6 – Nichols | 2 – Tied | State Farm Center (13,588) Champaign, IL |
| February 5, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | No. 9 Michigan State | W 79–74 | 8–15 (4–8) | 24 – Dosunmu | 5 – Bezhanishvili | 3 – Frazier | State Farm Center (12,960) Champaign, IL |
| February 9, 2019 3:00 pm, BTN | | Rutgers | W 99–94 $^{OT}$ | 9–15 (5–8) | 35 – Bezhanishvili | 7 – Bezhanishvili | 6 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (14,099) Champaign, IL |
| February 14, 2019 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Ohio State | W 63-56 | 10–15 (6–8) | 15 – Tied | 7 – Bezhanishvili | 3 – Tied | Value City Arena (12,420) Columbus, OH |
| February 18, 2019 7:00 pm, FS1 | | at No. 22 Wisconsin | L 58–64 | 10–16 (6–9) | 13 – Dosunmu | 6 – Tied | 3 – Dosunmu | Kohl Center (17,152) Madison, WI |
| February 23, 2019 11:00 am, BTN | | Penn State | L 76–83 | 10–17 (6–10) | 18 – Dosunmu | 10 – Bezhanishvili | 3 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| February 27, 2019 7:30 pm, BTN | | at No. 14 Purdue | L 56–73 | 10–18 (6–11) | 9 – Tied | 6 – Jordan | 3 – Williams | Mackey Arena (14,804) West Lafayette, IN |
| March 3, 2019 5:30 pm, BTN | | Northwestern Rivalry | W 81–76 | 11–18 (7–11) | 26 – Feliz | 10 – Jordan | 5 – Dosunmu | State Farm Center (13,924) Champaign, IL |
| March 7, 2019 7:00 pm, FS1 | | Indiana Rivalry | L 74–92 | 11–19 (7–12) | 16 – Dosunmu | 8 – Bezhanishvili | 3 – Tied | State Farm Center (14,033) Champaign, IL |
| March 10, 2019 11:00 am, FS1 | | at Penn State | L 56-72 | 11–20 (7–13) | 16 – Tied | 8 – Dosunmu | 2 – Tied | Bryce Jordan Center (9,678) University Park, PA |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2019 8:00 pm, BTN | (11) | vs. (14) Northwestern First round | W 74–69 $^{OT}$ | 12–20 | 26 – Bezhanishvili | 10 – Feliz | 6 – Feliz | United Center (16,473) Chicago, IL |
| March 14, 2019 8:30 pm, BTN | (11) | vs. (6) Iowa Second round | L 62–83 | 12–21 | 12 – Bezhanishvili | 6 – Bezhanishvili | 6 – Dosunmu | United Center Chicago, IL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source