# 2013–14 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 2013–14 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2013–14 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by second year head coach John Groce, the Illini played their home games at State Farm Center and were members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 20–15, 7–11 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They advanced to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament where they lost to Michigan. They were invited to the National Invitation Tournament where they defeated Boston University in the first round before losing in the second round to Clemson.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Sam McLaurin | 0 | F | 6'8" | 230 | GS Senior | Havana, FL | Graduated/pro for Korihait (Finland) |
| D. J. Richardson | 1 | G | 6'3" | 195 | Senior | Peoria, IL | Graduated/pro for Güssing Knights (Austria) |
| Brandon Paul | 3 | G | 6'4" | 200 | Senior | Gurnee, IL | Graduated/pro for BC Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) |
| Mike Shaw | 15 | F | 6'8" | 230 | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Transfer to Bradley |
| Myke Henry | 20 | G/F | 6'6" | 230 | Sophomore | Chicago, IL | Transfer to DePaul |
| Devin Langford | 21 | G/F | 6'7" | 200 | RS Freshman | Huntsville, AL | Transfer to Kentucky Wesleyan |
| Ibby Djimde | 23 | F/C | 6'8" | 250 | Sophomore | Bamako, Mali | Transfer to Southern Illinois |
| Kevin Berardini | 32 | G | 6'0" | 175 | RS Junior | Lake Forest, IL | Graduated/transfer to Pace University |
| Tyler Griffey | 42 | F | 6'8" | 235 | Senior | Wildwood, MO | Graduated/pro for Swans Gmunden (Austria) |

### 2013 additions
#### Incoming freshmen

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Austin Colbert PF | Gladstone, NJ | Gill St. Bernard's School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Nov 12, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 80 ||||||
| Malcolm Hill SG | Belleville, IL | Belleville East High School | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Sep 12, 2011 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| Maverick Morgan C | Springboro, OH | Springboro High School | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 235 lb (107 kg) | Jun 13, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 78 ||||||
| Kendrick Nunn SG | Chicago, IL | Simeon Career Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | Sep 15, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 86 ||||||
| Jaylon Tate SG | Chicago, IL | Simeon Career Academy | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Oct 4, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 73 ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 20 Rivals: 18 247Sports: 14 ESPN: 15 ||||||
| 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 2013 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014. "2013 Illinois Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014. "ESPN Recruiting Nation Basketball". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014. "2013 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014. "Illinois 2013 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014. ||||||

#### Incoming transfer students

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Aaron Cosby PG | Louisville, KY | Northfield-Mt. Hermon / Seton Hall | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Apr 13, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 90 ||||||
| Jon Ekey SF | Independence, MO | William Chrisman HS / Illinois State | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Apr 16, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 82 ||||||
| Darius Paul PF | Gurnee, IL | Warren Township HS / Western Michigan | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | May 4, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Ahmad Starks PG | Chicago, IL | Whitney Young HS / Oregon State | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | May 28, 2013 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 88 ||||||
| 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: ||||||
* Jon Ekey was immediately eligible to play during the 13–14 season due to the graduate student transfer exception rules of the NCAA.

## Schedule and results

Source:
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Oct 24* 7:00 pm | | McKendree | W 101–66 | – | 16 – Abrams | 8 – Bertrand | 3 – Abrams, Tate | State Farm Center (13,006) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 3* 5:00 pm | | Northwood | W 83–67 | – | 14 – LaTulip | 9 – Ekey | 4 – Rice | State Farm Center (12,988) Champaign, IL |
| Non-conference season |||||||||
| Nov 8* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Alabama State | W 80–63 | 1–0 | 22 – Rice | 10 – Egwu | 3 – Abrams | State Farm Center (15,271) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 10* 5:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Jacksonville State | W 86–62 | 2–0 | 20 – Bertrand | 10 – Bertrand | 8 – Tate | State Farm Center (13,506) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 13* 6:30 pm, BTN | | Valparaiso | W 64–52 | 3–0 | 18 – Rice | 15 – Ekey | 4 – Abrams | State Farm Center (13,504) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 17* 5:00 pm | | Bradley | W 81–55 | 4–0 | 19 – Ekey | 8 – Abrams | 6 – Tate | State Farm Center (15,849) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 22* 8:00 pm, BTN | | Chicago State | W 77–53 | 5–0 | 19 – Ekey | 9 – Egwu | 5 – Abrams | State Farm Center (15,488) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 26* 9:45 pm, CBSSN | | at UNLV | W 61–59 | 6–0 | 25 – Rice | 10 – Rice | 5 – Tate | Thomas & Mack Center (13,747) Paradise, NV |
| Nov 29* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | IPFW | W 57–55 | 7–0 | 17 – Rice | 6 – Rice | 3 – Tate | State Farm Center (15,638) Champaign, IL |
| Dec 3* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Georgia Tech ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 64–67 | 7–1 | 24 – Rice | 9 – Ekey | 5 – Tate | McCamish Pavilion (6,516) Atlanta, GA |
| Dec 8* 2:00 pm, FSN | | vs. Auburn | W 81–62 | 8–1 | 22 – Rice | 7 – Abrams | 5 – Abrams | Philips Arena (2,259) Atlanta, GA |
| Dec 10* 7:00 pm | | Dartmouth | W 72–65 | 9–1 | 13 – Rice | 5 – Rice | 4 – Abrams | State Farm Center (14,651) Champaign, IL |
| Dec 14* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 15 Oregon | L 64–71 | 9–2 | 16 – Abrams, Rice | 8 – Ekey | 5 – Abrams | Moda Center (10,043) Portland, OR |
| Dec 21* 4:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. No. 23 Missouri Braggin' Rights | W 65–64 | 10–2 | 22 – Abrams | 6 – Abrams, Bertrand | 2 – Bertrand | Scottrade Center (21,987) St. Louis, MO |
| Dec 28* 1:00 pm, BTN | | vs. UIC | W 74–60 | 11–2 | 28 – Rice | 7 – Egwu, Rice | 4 – Abrams | United Center (13,017) Chicago, IL |
| Big Ten regular season |||||||||
| Dec 31 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | Indiana Rivalry | W 83–80 $^{OT}$ | 12–2 (1–0) | 29 – Rice | 8 – Rice | 3 – Abrams | State Farm Center (16,618) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 4 1:15 pm, BTN | | Penn State | W 75–55 | 13–2 (2–0) | 15 – Rice | 8 – Ekey, Rice | 5 – Abrams | State Farm Center (15,390) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 8 8:00 pm, BTN | No. 23 | at No. 4 Wisconsin | L 70–95 | 13–3 (2–1) | 19 – Rice | 10 – Egwu | 2 – Tate | Kohl Center (17,003) Madison, WI |
| Jan 12 8:00 pm, BTN | No. 23 | at Northwestern Rivalry | L 43–49 | 13–4 (2–2) | 13 – Abrams | 9 – Ekey | 5 – Abrams | Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) Evanston, IL |
| Jan 15 8:00 pm, BTN | | Purdue | L 58–66 | 13–5 (2–3) | 13 – Abrams | 7 – Rice | 5 – Abrams | State Farm Center (15,007) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 18 7:00 pm, BTN | | No. 4 Michigan State | L 62–78 | 13–6 (2–4) | 15 – Abrams | 5 – Rice | 3 – Abrams | State Farm Center (16,618) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 23 6:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 17 Ohio State | L 55–62 | 13–7 (2–5) | 19 – Bertrand | 9 – Egwu | 4 – Tate | Value City Arena (16,774) Columbus, OH |
| Jan 26 2:00 pm, BTN | | at Indiana Rivalry | L 46–56 | 13–8 (2–6) | 20 – Rice | 5 – Bertrand, Egwu | 5 – Tate | Assembly Hall (17,472) Bloomington, IN |
| Feb 1 6:30 pm, BTN | | No. 15 Iowa Rivalry | L 74–81 | 13–9 (2–7) | 20 – Bertrand | 9 – Rice | 4 – Nunn | State Farm Center (16,618) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 4 6:30 pm, BTN | | Wisconsin | L 63–75 | 13–10 (2–8) | 24 – Rice | 9 – Rice | 2 – Abrams, Rice | State Farm Center (16,618) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 9 3:15 pm, BTN | | at Penn State | W 60–55 | 14–10 (3–8) | 19 – Nunn | 7 – Rice | 5 – Abrams | Bryce Jordan Center (7,573) University Park, PA |
| Feb 12 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Nebraska | L 58–67 | 14–11 (3–9) | 23 – Rice | 12 – Egwu | 3 – Abrams | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,404) Lincoln, NE |
| Feb 15 7:00 pm, BTN | | No. 22 Ohio State | L 39–48 | 14–12 (3–10) | 13 – Abrams | 14 – Egwu | 3 – Nunn | State Farm Center (16,618) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 19 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Minnesota | W 62–49 | 15–12 (4–10) | 19 – Nunn | 11 – Egwu | 6 – Abrams | Williams Arena (12,221) Minneapolis, MN |
| Feb 26 8:00 pm, BTN | | Nebraska | W 60-49 | 16–12 (5–10) | 13 – Nunn | 9 – Rice | 5 – Abrams | State Farm Center (13,206) Champaign, IL |
| Mar 1 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 18 Michigan State | W 53-46 | 17–12 (6–10) | 12 – Abrams | 6 – Nunn | 4 – Abrams, Nunn | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| Mar 4 6:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 12 Michigan | L 53-84 | 17–13 (6–11) | 16 – Rice | 9 – Rice | 3 – Rice | State Farm Center (16,618) Champaign, IL |
| Mar 8 7:30 pm, BTN | | at No. 24 Iowa Rivalry | W 66-63 | 18–13 (7–11) | 15 – Rice | 6 – Egwu, Ekey | 4 – Nunn | Carver-Hawkeye Arena (15,400) Iowa City, IA |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| Mar 13 11:00 am, BTN | (9) | vs. (8) Indiana First round | W 64–54 | 19–13 | 25 – Abrams | 7 – Abrams, Egwu | 2 – Abrams, Bertrand, Nunn, Rice | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,596) Indianapolis, IN |
| Mar 14 11:00 am, ESPN | (9) | vs. (1) No. 8 Michigan Quarterfinals | L 63–64 | 19–14 | 11 – Abrams, Rice | 9 – Egwu | 5 – Abrams | Bankers Life Fieldhouse (18,596) Indianapolis, IN |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 19* 6:00 pm, ESPN2 | (2) | at (7) Boston University First round | W 66–62 | 20–14 | 28 – Rice | 8 – Hill, Rice | 3 – Abrams | Agganis Arena (1,327) Boston, MA |
| March 23* 10:00 am, ESPN | (2) | at (3) Clemson Second round | L 49–50 | 20–15 | 15 – Rice | 6 – Egwu | 3 – Abrams | Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000) Clemson, SC |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Rankings

Legend: ██ Increase in ranking. ██ Decrease in ranking. NR = Not ranked. RV = Receiving votes :
| Poll | Pre | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Wk 15 | Wk 16 | Wk 17 | Wk 18 | Wk 19 | Wk 20 | Final |
| AP | NR | NR | NR | RV | RV | NR | NR | RV | RV | 23 | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | N/A |
| Coaches | RV | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | RV | RV | RV | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |