# 2024–25 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represents the University of Illinois during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Illini are led by eighth-year head coach Brad Underwood. The Illini play their home games at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference.
The Illini opened their season just outside of the preseason rankings and defeated the Eastern Illinois Panthers 112–67, led by a 31 point scoring performance from freshman Will Riley.

## Previous season

The Fighting Illini finished the 2023–24 season 23–9, 14–6 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They defeated Ohio State, Nebraska, and Wisconsin to win the Big Ten tournament championship. As a result, they received the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 3 seed in the East region. They beat Morehead State and Duquesne to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2005. There they defeated Iowa State to advance to the Elite Eight before being blown out by eventual tournament champion UConn.

## Offseason

After the previous season ended, Marcus Domask sought a medical hardship waiver from the NCAA to play in the 2024-25 season. After his waiver application was denied, he declared for the NBA draft.
After three years at Illinois, Assistant Coach Chester Frazier joined West Virginia's coaching staff. This resulted in Sencire Harris, who had previously pledged to stay with the team, to enter the transfer portal, with Amani Hansberry soon following, as both were primarily recruited by Frazier. Both players ultimately followed Frazier to West Virginia. Replacing Frazier on the coaching staff was Orlando Antigua, who had previously served as assistant coach at Illinois prior to a stint at Kentucky.
Following Will Riley's committing and reclassifying to 2024, Jeremiah Fears decommitted from the Illini, due to his desire to reclassify to 2024 as well.
On September 20, the Illini announced that assistant coach Tim Anderson was taking an indefinite leave of absence, with Kwa Jones temporarily promoted to fill his position.

### Departures

| Name | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for Departure |
| Quincy Guerrier | F | 6'8" | 220 | Graduate Student | Montreal, Quebec | Graduated; Undrafted, signed with the Toronto Raptors |
| Terrence Shannon Jr. | G | 6'6" | 215 | Fifth Year | Chicago, Illinois | Graduated; Drafted 27th overall in 2024 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves |
| Marcus Domask | G/F | 6'6" | 215 | Graduate Student | Waupun, Wisconsin | Graduated; Undrafted, signed with the Chicago Bulls |
| Justin Harmon | G | 6'4" | 180 | Graduate Student | Chicago, Illinois | Graduated |
| Dain Dainja | F/C | 6'9" | 255 | Redshirt Junior | Brooklyn Park, Minnesota | Transferred to Memphis |
| Sencire Harris | G | 6'4" | 160 | Redshirt Freshman | North Canton, Ohio | Transferred to West Virginia |
| Amani Hansberry | F/C | 6'8" | 225 | Freshman | Silver Spring, Maryland | Transferred to West Virginia |
| Luke Goode | G/F | 6'7" | 210 | Junior | Fort Wayne, Indiana | Graduated; Transferred to Indiana |
| Coleman Hawkins | F/C | 6'10" | 225 | Senior | Sacramento, California | Graduated; Transferred to Kansas State |
| Niccolo Moretti | G | 6'1" | 160 | Redshirt Freshman | Bologna, Italy | Transferred to Florida Atlantic |
| Max Williams | G | 6'2" | 192 | Senior | Chicago, Illinois | Graduated |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous School |
| Jake Davis | 15 | G/F | 6'6" | 210 | Sophomore | McCordsville, Indiana | Mercer |
| Tre White | 22 | G/F | 6'7" | 205 | Junior | Dallas, Texas | Louisville |
| Kylan Boswell | 4 | G | 6'2" | 200 | Junior | Urbana, Illinois | Arizona |
| Carey Booth | 0 | F | 6'10" | 203 | Sophomore | Englewood, Colorado | Notre Dame |
| Ben Humrichous | 3 | F | 6'9" | 220 | Fifth Year | Tipton, Indiana | Evansville |
Source:

### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Morez Johnson Jr. F/C | Riverdale, IL | Thornton Township | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Nov 5, 2021 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Jason Jakstys F | Yorkville, IL | Yorkville | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jul 23, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Tomislav Ivišić C | Vodice, Croatia | SC Derby | 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 6, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Kasparas Jakucionis G | Vilnius, Lithuania | FC Barcelona Bàsquet | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | May 28, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ||||||
| Will Riley F | Kitchener, Ontario | The Phelps School | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jun 23, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Rivals: 11 247Sports: 10 ||||||
| 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: "2024 Illinois Commits". Rivals.com. "ESPN- Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. "2024–25 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team". 247sports.com. ||||||

## Roster

Note: Tomislav Ivišić lost one year of eligibility due to playing professionally in Europe, thus he is a sophomore for NCAA purposes.

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 27, 2024* 11:00 a.m., SECN | | at No. 24 Ole Miss Charity Benefit for CASA of North Mississippi | L 74–91 | | 15 – Gibbs-Lawhorn | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tied | SJB Pavilion (7,023) Oxford, MS |
| Regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:00 p.m., B1G+ | | Eastern Illinois | W 112–67 | 1–0 | 31 – Riley | 14 – Ivisic | 7 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (15,246) Champaign, IL |
| November 8, 2024* 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | SIU Edwardsville | W 90–58 | 2–0 | 18 – Ivisic | 8 – Tied | 13 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| November 13, 2024* 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Oakland | W 66–54 | 3–0 | 20 – Ivisic | 6 – Tied | 3 – Tied | State Farm Center (15,299) Champaign, IL |
| November 20, 2024* 8:00 p.m., SECN | No. 25 | vs. No. 8 Alabama C.M. Newton Classic | L 87–100 | 3–1 | 18 – Riley | 10 – Ivisic | 6 – Jakucionis | Legacy Arena (11,533) Birmingham, AL |
| November 23, 2024* 3:00 p.m., B1G+ | No. 25 | Maryland Eastern Shore Turkey Throwdown | W 87–40 | 4–1 | 19 – Riley | 13 – Johnson Jr. | 4 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (13,456) Champaign, IL |
| November 25, 2024* 8:00 p.m., BTN | | Little Rock Turkey Throwdown | W 92–34 | 5–1 | 21 – Jakucionis | 11 – Tied | 7 – Boswell | State Farm Center (12,131) Champaign, IL |
| November 28, 2024* 3:00 p.m., CBS | | vs. No. 19 Arkansas Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase Turkey Throwdown | W 90–77 | 6–1 | 23 – Jakucionis | 10 – Ivisic | 6 – Boswell | T-Mobile Center (5,707) Kansas City, MO |
| December 6, 2024 8:00 p.m., BTN | No. 19 | at Northwestern Rivalry | L 66–70 $^{OT}$ | 6–2 (0–1) | 20 – Jakucionis | 12 – Ivisic | 7 – Jakucionis | Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039) Evanston, IL |
| December 10, 2024 8:00 p.m., Peacock | | No. 20 Wisconsin | W 86–80 | 7–2 (1–1) | 24 – Jakucionis | 11 – Ivisic | 6 – Boswell | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| December 14, 2024* 4:30 p.m., FOX | | No. 1 Tennessee | L 64–66 | 7–3 | 22 – Jakucionis | 12 – Ivisic | 2 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| December 22, 2024* 12:00 p.m., ESPN | | vs. Missouri Braggin' Rights | W 80–77 | 8–3 | 21 – Jakucionis | 10 – Ivisic | 5 – Boswell | Enterprise Center (18,497) St. Louis, MO |
| December 29, 2024* 1:00 p.m., BTN | No. 24 | Chicago State | W 117–64 | 9–3 | 23 – Ivisic | 10 – Boswell | 10 – Boswell | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| January 2, 2025 9:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 22 | at No. 9 Oregon | W 109–77 | 10–3 (2–1) | 20 – White | 11 – White | 6 – Jakucionis | Matthew Knight Arena (7,010) Eugene, OR |
| January 5, 2025 3:00 p.m., BTN | No. 22 | at Washington | W 81–77 | 11–3 (3–1) | 18 – Jakucionis | 9 – Ivisic | 6 – Jakucionis | Alaska Airlines Arena (8,156) Seattle, WA |
| January 8, 2025 8:00 p.m., BTN | No. 13 | Penn State | W 91–52 | 12–3 (4–1) | 21 – Humrichous | 11 – Johnson Jr. | 6 – Tied | State Farm Center (13,883) Champaign, IL |
| January 11, 2025 11:00 a.m., BTN | No. 13 | USC | L 72–82 | 12–4 (4–2) | 15 – Humrichous | 8 – Tied | 6 – Boswell | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| January 14, 2025 6:00 p.m., Peacock | No. 19 | at Indiana Rivalry | W 94–69 | 13–4 (5–2) | 22 – Boswell | 11 – Ivisic | 5 – Jakucionis | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| January 19, 2025 11:00 a.m., CBS | No. 19 | at No. 12 Michigan State | L 78–80 | 13–5 (5–3) | 19 – Riley | 9 – Boswell | 5 – Ivisic | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| January 23, 2025 8:00 p.m., FS1 | No. 17 | Maryland | L 71–90 | 13–6 (5–4) | 21 – Jakucionis | 9 – Boswell | 7 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| January 26, 2025 2:00 p.m., BTN | No. 17 | Northwestern Rivalry | W 83–74 | 14–6 (6–4) | 17 – Boswell | 10 – Jakucionis | 7 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| January 30, 2025 7:30 p.m., FS1 | No. 18 | at Nebraska | L 74–80 $^{OT}$ | 14–7 (6–5) | 18 – Jakucionis | 13 – Tied | 4 – Jakucionis | Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,893) Lincoln, NE |
| February 2, 2025 12:00 p.m., CBS | No. 18 | Ohio State | W 87–79 | 15–7 (7–5) | 24 – Riley | 15 – Johnson Jr. | 7 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| February 5, 2025 7:30 p.m., BTN | No. 23 | at Rutgers | L 73–82 | 15–8 (7–6) | 18 – Riley | 10 – Boswell | 6 – Riley | Jersey Mike's Arena (8,000) Piscataway, NJ |
| February 8, 2025 5:00 p.m., BTN | No. 23 | at Minnesota | W 95–74 | 16–8 (8–6) | 27 – Riley | 11 – Ivisic | 7 – Riley | Williams Arena (10,091) Minneapolis, MN |
| February 11, 2025 7:00 p.m., Peacock | | UCLA | W 83–78 | 17–8 (9–6) | 24 – Jakucionis | 8 – Jakucionis | 4 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| February 15, 2025 7:00 p.m., FOX | | No. 11 Michigan State | L 65–79 | 17–9 (9–7) | 17 – Tied | 7 – Tied | 6 – Riley | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| February 18, 2025 7:30 p.m., FS1 | | at No. 11 Wisconsin | L 74–95 | 17–10 (9–8) | 17 – Gibbs-Lawhorn | 5 – Tied | 5 – Gibbs-Lawhorn | Kohl Center (15,170) Madison, WI |
| February 22, 2025* 7:00 p.m., FOX | | vs. No. 3 Duke SentinelOne Classic | L 67–110 | 17–11 | 16 – White | 7 – Jakucionis | 6 – Jakucionis | Madison Square Garden (19,812) New York City, NY |
| February 25, 2025 8:00 p.m., FS1 | | Iowa Rivalry | W 81–61 | 18–11 (10–8) | 22 – Ivisic | 7 – Tied | 7 – Boswell | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| March 2, 2025 2:45 p.m., CBS | | at No. 15 Michigan | W 93–73 | 19–11 (11–8) | 19 – White | 11 – White | 5 – Tied | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| March 7, 2025 7:00 p.m., FOX | | No. 18 Purdue | W 88–80 | 20–11 (12–8) | 22 – Riley | 9 – White | 7 – Jakucionis | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| March 13, 2025 5:30 p.m., BTN | (7) No. 24 | vs. (15) Iowa Second round | W 106–94 | 21–11 | 24 – Boswell | 10 – Ivisic | 7 – Boswell | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
| March 14, 2025 5:30 p.m., BTN | (7) No. 24 | vs. (2) No. 11 Maryland Quarterfinals | L 65–88 | 21–12 | 15 – Tied | 10 – Jakucionis | 4 – Jakucionis | Gainbridge Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN |
| NCAA Tournament |||||||||
| March 21, 2025 8:45 p.m., CBS | (6 MW) | vs. (11 MW) Texas/Xavier First Round | | | | | | Fiserv Forum Milwaukee, WI |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. MW=Midwest. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||
Source:

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | Final |
| AP | RV | RV | 25 | RV | 19 | RV | RV | 24 | 22 | 13 | 19 | 17 | 18 | 23 | RV | RV | RV | RV | 24 | RV | |
| Coaches | 24 | 20 | 20 | RV | 17 | RV | RV | 22 | 20 | 15 | 20 | 17 | 20 | 25 | RV | RV | — | RV | 25 | RV | |