# 2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2014–15 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by third-year head coach John Groce, the Illini played their home games at State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 19–14, 9–9 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for seventh 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 lost in the first round to Alabama.

## Previous season

The Illini finished the 2013–14 season 20–15, 7–11 in Big Ten play to finish in a tie for eighth place. They received a bid to the NIT where they advanced to the second round before losing to Clemson.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Joseph Bertrand | 2 | SG | 6'6" | 200 | RS Senior | Sterling, IL | Graduated/Pro for Larochette |
| Jon Ekey | 33 | F | 6'7" | 225 | GS Senior | Independence, MO | Graduated/Pro for Saitama Broncos |

### 2014 recruiting class

Leron Black joined the Fighting Illini as the first recruit from the Memphis, Tennessee area since the 1997–98 season when Cory Bradford suited up for the Fighting Illini. Black is the reigning Tennessee Mr. Basketball and is Illinois' highest rated recruit since Portland Trail Blazers Forward-center Meyers Leonard.
Michael Finke joins Rayvonte Rice as the second player on the Fighting Illini roster from Centennial High School in Champaign, Illinois. Finke also follows the footsteps of his father, Jeff Finke, who lettered in basketball as a forward for the 1986–87 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team and then lettered in football as a tight end for the Fighting Illini from 1988–1990.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Leron Black PF | Memphis, TN | White Station (TN) | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Sep 1, 2013 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Michael Finke PF | Champaign, IL | Centennial (IL) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | Dec 12, 2012 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| 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: "2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014. "2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List". Scout.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014. "2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014. "2014 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014. "2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team". 247sports.com. Retrieved March 24, 2014. ||||||

### Walk-ons

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Alex Austin G | Chicago, IL | Mount Carmel / Eastern Illinois | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jul 1, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| Cameron Liss F | Northbrook, IL | Glenbrook North | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | Jul 1, 2014 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Ryan Schmidt G | Bloomington, IL | Bloomington Central Catholic | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Jan 23, 2015 |
| Recruiting 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: ||||||

## Roster
### Depth chart

| Pos. | Starting 5 | Bench 1 | Bench 2 | Bench 3 |
| F/C | Nnanna Egwu | Maverick Morgan | | |
| F | Malcolm Hill | Leron Black | Austin Colbert | Cameron Liss |
| G | Rayvonte Rice | | | |
| G | Kendrick Nunn | Ryan Schmidt | | |
| G | Jaylon Tate | Ahmad Starks | Mike LaTulip | |

## Regular season
### Injuries

On September 11, it was announced that senior point guard Tracy Abrams suffered a torn ACL to his right knee during preseason workouts which will cause him to miss the entire 2014–15 season. The injury forced Abrams to use a medical redshirt so he can return for the 2015–16 season. After an 0–2 start to Big Ten Conference play, it was announced on January 6 that redshirt senior guard Rayvonte Rice suffered a broken bone in his left hand during practice and would be sidelined indefinitely. At the time of his injury, Rice was Illinois' leader in scoring, rebounds, and steals. Illinois suffered another injury that was announced prior to their game against Purdue at home on January 21. Redshirt junior guard Aaron Cosby suffered a retinal tear after being poked in the eye in his left eye during a home loss to Indiana. Cosby underwent laser surgery to repair the tear, which will sideline him up to two weeks.

### Student-manager turned walk-on

On January 23, 2014 head coach John Groce announced the addition of former student-manager Ryan Schmidt to the roster as a walk-on guard after a string of injuries at the position. Schmidt is a senior from Bloomington, Illinois and played high school basketball at Bloomington Central Catholic.

### Aaron Cosby

On February 20, 2015 coach Groce announced that he and redshirt junior guard Aaron Cosby have mutually decided to part ways. Cosby had not played in over a month since suffering an injury to his left eye against Indiana on January 18. While recovering from his injury, he and Rayvonte Rice were indefinitely suspended from play due to a violation of team rules on January 31. Rice returned from suspension in a home win against Michigan, however Cosby remained suspended. Despite no longer being on the roster, Cosby intends to remain enrolled at Illinois and then transfer to another school after graduating in May. Cosby previously played his first two years for Seton Hall and sat out during the 2013–14 season after transferring to Illinois.

### 2004-05 national runner-up anniversary

On December 5, 2014, Illinois announced they would be releasing commemorative bobbleheads to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of the 2004-05 Fighting Illini team. The 2004-05 team finished the season as the 2005 National Runner-up with a 37–2 record, which tied the NCAA record for most wins in a season. During weeknight Big Ten Conference play at home, Illinois will release a bobblehead of the starting lineup of Deron Williams, Dee Brown, Luther Head, Roger Powell, Jr., and James Augustine.

## Schedule and results

Source:
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 7* 7:00 pm | | Quincy | W 91–62 | – | 20 – Hill | 13 – Egwu | 5 – Tied | State Farm Center (14,422) Champaign, IL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| Nov 14* 8:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Georgia Southern | W 80–71 | 1–0 | 24 – Rice | 7 – Hill | 3 – Tied | State Farm Center (15,626) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 16* 5:00 pm | | Coppin State | W 114–56 | 2–0 | 18 – Tied | 9 – Hill | 7 – Tate | State Farm Center (12,272) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 21* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Austin Peay Las Vegas Invitational | W 107–66 | 3–0 | 16 – Tied | 6 – Tied | 5 – Tate | State Farm Center (16,337) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 24* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | Brown Las Vegas Invitational | W 89–68 | 4–0 | 17 – Cosby | 10 – Rice | 4 – Tied | State Farm Center (11,422) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 27* 4:00 pm, FS1 | | vs. Indiana State Las Vegas Invitational Semifinals | W 88–62 | 5–0 | 21 – Rice | 8 – Tied | 4 – Cosby | Orleans Arena (N/A) Paradise, NV |
| Nov 28* 9:30 pm, FS1 | | vs. Baylor Las Vegas Invitational Championship | W 62–54 | 6–0 | 17 – Tied | 8 – Egwu | 5 – Starks | Orleans Arena (N/A) Paradise, NV |
| Dec 2* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 24 | at No. 15 Miami (FL) ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 61–70 | 6–1 | 22 – Rice | 12 – Rice | 3 – Hill | BankUnited Center (6,086) Coral Gables, FL |
| Dec 6* 1:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 24 | American | W 70–55 | 7–1 | 13 – Hill | 7 – Egwu | 4 – Tate | State Farm Center (13,924) Champaign, IL |
| Dec 9* 6:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. No. 7 Villanova Jimmy V Classic | L 59–73 | 7–2 | 20 – Hill | 9 – Egwu | 4 – Starks | Madison Square Garden (11,617) New York City, NY |
| Dec 13* 6:00 pm, BTN | | vs. Oregon | L 70–77 | 7–3 | 29 – Rice | 7 – Tied | 4 – Tied | United Center (13,759) Chicago, IL |
| Dec 17* 6:00 pm, ESPNU | | Hampton | W 73–55 | 8–3 | 16 – Nunn | 8 – Black | 3 – Tied | State Farm Center (12,564) Champaign, IL |
| Dec 20* 1:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Missouri Braggin' Rights | W 62–59 | 9–3 | 19 – Rice | 7 – Tied | 3 – Rice | Scottrade Center (20,079) St. Louis, MO |
| Dec 27* 8:00 pm, BTN | | Kennesaw State | W 93–45 | 10–3 | 21 – Rice | 9 – Hill | 7 – Tate | State Farm Center (16,158) Champaign, IL |
| Big Ten regular season |||||||||
| Dec 30 2:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Michigan | L 65–73 $^{OT}$ | 10–4 (0–1) | 19 – Hill | 11 – Rice | 6 – Rice | Crisler Center (12,707) Ann Arbor, MI |
| Jan 3 2:30 pm, ESPN2 | | at No. 20 Ohio State | L 61–77 | 10–5 (0–2) | 20 – Rice | 7 – Rice | 4 – Tied | Value City Arena (16,028) Columbus, OH |
| Jan 7 8:00 pm, BTN | | No. 11 Maryland | W 64–58 | 11–5 (1–2) | 28 – Hill | 9 – Egwu | 4 – Tate | State Farm Center (12,896) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 11 7:30 pm, BTN | | at Nebraska | L 43–53 | 11–6 (1–3) | 12 – Hill/Nunn | 10 – Egwu | 2 – Tied | Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,514) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 14 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Northwestern Rivalry | W 72–67 | 12–6 (2–3) | 25 – Nunn | 6 – Hill | 4 – Starks | Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,652) Evanston, IL |
| Jan 18 12:00 pm, BTN | | Indiana Rivalry | L 74–80 | 12–7 (2–4) | 24 – Nunn | 9 – Black | 6 – Starks | State Farm Center (17,085) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 21 8:00 pm, BTN | | Purdue | W 66–57 | 13–7 (3–4) | 18 – Hill | 13 – Black | 6 – Tate | State Farm Center (12,965) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 24 1:15 pm, BTN | | at Minnesota | L 71–79 | 13–8 (3–5) | 18 – Tied | 9 – Black | 9 – Tate | Williams Arena (13,421) Minneapolis, MN |
| Jan 31 12:00 pm, BTN | | Penn State | W 60–58 | 14–8 (4–5) | 27 – Hill | 7 – Black | 5 – Tate | State Farm Center (14,597) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 3 8:30 pm, BTN | | Rutgers | W 66–54 | 15–8 (5–5) | 21 – Nunn | 6 – Nunn | 6 – Tate | State Farm Center (12,838) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 7 11:00 am, ESPN | | at Michigan State | W 59–54 | 16–8 (6–5) | 19 – Hill | 9 – Egwu | 3 – Nunn | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 12 8:00 pm, ESPN | | Michigan | W 64–52 $^{OT}$ | 17–8 (7–5) | 21 – Nunn | 12 – Egwu | 4 – Starks | State Farm Center (17,087) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 15 12:00 pm, CBS | | at No. 5 Wisconsin | L 49–68 | 17–9 (7–6) | 15 – Hill | 9 – Egwu | 2 – Starks | Kohl Center (17,279) Madison, WI |
| Feb 22 6:30 pm, BTN | | Michigan State | L 53–60 | 17–10 (7–7) | 17 – Hill | 5 – Rice | 3 – Rice | State Farm Center (16,108) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 25 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Iowa Rivalry | L 60–68 | 17–11 (7–8) | 20 – Rice | 9 – Rice | 3 – Nunn | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,831) Iowa City, IA |
| Feb 28 6:00 pm, BTN | | Northwestern Rivalry | W 86–60 | 18–11 (8–8) | 19 – Rice | 8 – Morgan | 3 – Tied | State Farm Center (15,471) Champaign, IL |
| Mar 4 9:00 pm, BTN | | Nebraska | W 69–57 | 19–11 (9–8) | 23 – Rice | 8 – Egwu | 2 – Tied | State Farm Center (17,085) Champaign, IL |
| Mar 7 3:30 pm, BTN | | at Purdue | L 58–63 | 19–12 (9–9) | 25 – Rice | 9 – Egwu | 2 – Hill | Mackey Arena (14,846) West Lafayette, IN |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| Mar 12 11:00 am, BTN | (8) | vs. (9) Michigan second round | L 55–73 | 19–13 | 13 – Hill | 9 – Rice | 2 – Tate | United Center (16,028) Chicago, IL |
| NIT |||||||||
| Mar 17* 8:00 pm, ESPN | (3) | at (6) Alabama First round | L 58–79 | 19–14 | 22 – Hill | 8 – Egwu | 6 – Hill | Coleman Coliseum (2,348) Tuscaloosa, AL |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Honors and awards

On March 9, 2015, The Big Ten Conference announced most of its conference awards.
| Player | Honor |
| Rayvonte Rice | All-Big Ten Honorable Mention |
| Malcolm Hill | All-Big Ten Honorable Mention |
| Nnanna Egwu | All-Defensive Team |