# 2012–13 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 2012–13 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2012–13 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by first year head coach John Groce, the Illini played their home games at Assembly Hall and were members of the Big Ten Conference.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| Sam Maniscalco | 0 | G | 6'0" | 180 | GS Senior | Chicago | Graduated |
| Crandall Head | 4 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Sophomore | Matteson, Illinois | Transferred to Southern Methodist |
| Meyers Leonard | 12 | C | 7'1" | 245 | Sophomore | Robinson, Illinois | Drafted 11th overall by the Portland Trail Blazers |
| Jean Selus | 25 | G | 6'2" | 195 | Senior | Montreal | Graduated |

### Additions
#### Incoming transfers

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Sam McLaurin PF | Havana, Florida | East Gadsden (FL) / Coastal Carolina | 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | May 3, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Rayvonte Rice SG | Champaign, Illinois | Centennial (IL) / Drake | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Apr 25, 2012 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 85 ||||||
| 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: ||||||

#### Preferred Walk-On

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Mike LaTulip SG | Mt. Prospect, Illinois | Prospect HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Apr 30, 2012 |
| 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: "2012 Illinois Basketball Commitment List". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2012. "2012 Illinois Basketball Recruiting Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved September 20, 2012. "LaTulip Accepted as Preferred Walk-On". ESPN.com. Retrieved September 20, 2012. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved September 20, 2012. "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved September 20, 2012. ||||||

## Schedule

Source:
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| 10/27/2012* 7:00 pm | | Lewis | W 79–47 | – | 12 – Richardson | 9 – Griffey | 2 – Abrams, Paul | Assembly Hall (14,299) Champaign, Illinois |
| 11/04/2012* 3:00 pm | | West Chester | W 75–66 | – | 17 – Abrams | 11 – Egwu | 2 – Abrams, Paul, Richardson | Assembly Hall (11,492) Champaign, Illinois |
| Non-Conference regular season |||||||||
| 11/09/2012* 7:00 pm | | Colgate Maui Invitational Opening Round | W 75–55 | 1–0 | 20 – Paul | 8 – Paul | 5 – Abrams, Paul | Assembly Hall (14,683) Champaign, Illinois |
| 11/12/2012* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | | St. Francis (NY) | W 89–64 | 2–0 | 17 – Griffey | 5 – Bertrand, Egwu, Griffey | 6 – Paul | Assembly Hall (11,640) Champaign, Illinois |
| 11/16/2012* 11:30 pm | | at Hawaiʻi | W 78–77 $^{OT}$ | 3–0 | 25 – Paul | 6 – Richardson | 3 – Abrams | Stan Sheriff Center (7,550) Honolulu, HI |
| 11/19/2012* 11:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. USC Maui Invitational Quarterfinals | W 94–64 | 4–0 | 26 – Paul | 6 – Paul, Egwu, Abrams, McLaurin | 8 – Abrams | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| 11/20/2012* 9:30 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Chaminade Maui Invitational Semifinals | W 84–61 | 5–0 | 14 – Bertrand | 7 – Henry | 4 – Paul | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| 11/21/2012* 9:00 pm, ESPN | | vs. Butler Maui Invitational Title Game | W 78–61 | 6–0 | 20 – Paul | 9 – Richardson | 4 – Paul, Richardson | Lahaina Civic Center (2,400) Maui, HI |
| 11/25/2012* 3:00 pm, BTN | | Gardner–Webb | W 63–62 | 7–0 | 13 – Bertrand, Griffey, Paul, Richardson | 6 – Bertrand, Paul | 4 – Paul | Assembly Hall (12,565) Champaign, Illinois |
| 11/28/2012* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 22 | Georgia Tech ACC-Big Ten Challenge | W 75–62 | 8–0 | 15 – Bertrand, Paul | 7 – Paul | 7 – Paul | Assembly Hall (12,224) Champaign, Illinois |
| 12/04/2012* 7:00 pm | No. 13 | Western Carolina | W 72–64 | 9–0 | 14 – Paul | 6 – Griffey | 3 – Abrams | Assembly Hall (14,191) Champaign, Illinois |
| 12/08/2012* 9:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 13 | at No. 10 Gonzaga | W 85–74 | 10–0 | 35 – Paul | 6 – Richardson | 5 – Abrams | McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000) Spokane, Washington |
| 12/11/2012* 7:00 pm, ESPN3 | No. 10 | Norfolk State | W 64–54 | 11–0 | 14 – Paul | 8 – Paul | 3 – Griffey | Assembly Hall (14,144) Champaign, Illinois |
| 12/16/2012 5:00 pm, ESPNU | No. 10 | Eastern Kentucky | W 66–53 | 12–0 | 17 – Paul | 9 – Paul | 7 – Richardson | Assembly Hall (15,029) Champaign, Illinois |
| 12/22/2012* 5:00 pm, ESPN2 | No. 10 | vs. No. 12 Missouri Braggin' Rights | L 73–82 | 12–1 | 23 – Paul | 9 – Egwu | 5 – Paul | Scottrade Center (21,933) St. Louis, Missouri |
| 12/29/2012* 1:15 pm, BTN | No. 12 | vs. Auburn | W 81–79 | 13–1 | 27 – Abrams | 8 – Abrams | 5 – Abrams | United Center (18,136) Chicago |
| Big Ten regular season |||||||||
| 01/02/2013 7:30 pm, BTN | No. 11 | at Purdue | L 61–68 | 13–2 (0–1) | 15 – Paul | 9 – Richardson | 5 – Abrams | Mackey Arena (9,874) West Lafayette, Indiana |
| 01/05/2013 1:15 pm, BTN | No. 11 | No. 8 Ohio State | W 74–55 | 14–2 (1–1) | 19 – Paul | 8 – Egwu | 5 – Abrams | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, Illinois |
| 01/09/2013 8:00 pm, BTN | No. 12 | No. 8 Minnesota | L 67–84 | 14–3 (1–2) | 21 – Paul | 9 – Egwu | 2 – Egwu, Richardson, Abrams | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, Illinois |
| 01/12/2013 1:15 pm, BTN | No. 12 | at Wisconsin | L 51–74 | 14–4 (1–3) | 16 – Richardson | 7 – Bertrand | 1 – Bertrand, Shaw | Kohl Center (17,249) Madison, Wisconsin |
| 01/17/2013 7:15 pm, BTN | No. 23 | Northwestern Rivalry | L 54–68 | 14–5 (1–4) | 21 – Paul | 6 – Griffey | 4 – Abrams | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, Illinois |
| 01/22/2013 7:30 pm, BTN | | at Nebraska | W 71–51 | 15–5 (2–4) | 30 – Richardson | 10 – Egwu | 3 – Paul, Abrams | Bob Devaney Sports Center (9,556) Lincoln, Nebraska |
| 01/27/2012 5:00 pm, BTN | | No. 2 Michigan | L 60–74 | 15–6 (2–5) | 15 – Paul | 10 – Egwu | 3 – Abrams | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, Illinois |
| 01/31/2013 6:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 13 Michigan State | L 75–80 | 15–7 (2–6) | 16 – Abrams | 5 – Abrams | 6 – Abrams | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, Michigan |
| 02/03/2013 2:30 pm, BTN | | Wisconsin | L 68–74 | 15–8 (2–7) | 17 – Bertrand | 7 – Egwu, Bertrand | 3 – Abrams, Paul | Assembly Hall (15,073) Champaign, Illinois |
| 02/07/2013 6:00 pm, ESPN | | No. 1 Indiana Rivalry | W 74–72 | 16–8 (3–7) | 23 – Richardson | 8 – Griffey | 3 – Paul, Abrams | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, Illinois |
| 02/10/2013 5:00 pm, BTN | | at No. 18 Minnesota | W 57–53 | 17–8 (4–7) | 16 – Griffey | 6 – Abrams | 6 – Abrams | Williams Arena (14,625) Minneapolis |
| 02/13/2013 8:00 pm, BTN | | Purdue | W 79–59 | 18–8 (5–7) | 18 – Richardson | 12 – Bertrand | 7 – Abrams | Assembly Hall (13,464) Champaign, Illinois |
| 02/17/2013 6:30 pm, BTN | | at Northwestern Rivalry | W 62–41 | 19–8 (6–7) | 18 – Richardson | 8 – Richardson | 5 – Paul | Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) Evanston, Illinois |
| 02/21/2013 7:15 pm, BTN | | Penn State | W 64–59 | 20–8 (7–7) | 18 – Richardson | 5 – McLaurin | 3 – Richardson, Abrams | Assembly Hall (14,356) Champaign, Illinois |
| 02/24/2013 12:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 7 Michigan | L 58–71 | 20–9 (7–8) | 10 – Abrams, Paul, Richardson | 5 – Abrams, Egwu | 4 – Richardson | Crisler Center (12,693) Ann Arbor, Michigan |
| 03/02/2013 4:15 pm, BTN | | Nebraska | W 72–65 | 21–9 (8–8) | 16 – Abrams | 9 – Henry | 5 – Paul | Assembly Hall (16,618) Champaign, Illinois |
| 03/05/2013 6:00 pm, BTN | | at Iowa Rivalry | L 55–63 | 21–10 (8–9) | 18 – Paul | 9 – Paul | 4 – Abrams | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (14,566) Iowa City, Iowa |
| 03/10/2013 11:30 am, ESPN | | at No. 14 Ohio State | L 55–68 | 21–11 (8–10) | 21 – Paul | 8 – Henry | 4 – Abrams | Value City Arena (19,049) Columbus, Ohio |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| 03/14/2013 11:00 am, BTN | (8) | vs. (9) Minnesota First Round | W 51–49 | 22–11 | 25 – Paul | 6 – Egwu | 2 – Abrams, Paul, Richardson | United Center (N/A) Chicago |
| 03/15/2013 11:00 am, ESPN | (8) | vs. (1) No. 3 Indiana Quarterfinals | L 64–80 | 22–12 | 16 – Paul, Abrams | 7 – McLaurin | 2 – Richardson, Abrams | United Center Chicago |
| NCAA tournament |||||||||
| 03/22/2013* 3:44 pm, TNT | (7 E) | vs. (10 E) Colorado Second Round | W 57–49 | 23–12 | 17 – Paul | 8 – Egwu | 6 – Abrams | Frank Erwin Center (13,784) Austin, Texas |
| 03/24/2013* 8:04 pm, TNT | (7 E) | vs. (2 E) No. 5 Miami Third Round | L 59–63 | 23–13 | 18 – Paul | 12 – Egwu | 2 – Paul, Richardson, Abrams | Frank Erwin Center (14,520) Austin, Texas |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## National rankings

Legend :
| | Increase in ranking |
| | Decrease in ranking |
| | No Change |
| (RV) | Received Votes |
| T | Tied |

## Season Statistics

Individual Player Statistics (As of February 15, 2013) :
| | | | Minutes | Minutes | Scoring | Scoring | Total FGs | Total FGs | Total FGs | 3-point FGs | 3-point FGs | 3-point FGs | Free-Throws | Free-Throws | Free-Throws | Rebounds | Rebounds | Rebounds | Rebounds | | | | |
| Player | GP | GS | Tot | Avg | Pts | Avg | FG | FGA | Pct | 3FG | 3FA | Pct | FT | FTA | Pct | Off | Def | Tot | Avg | A | TO | Blk | Stl |
| Paul, Brandon | 26 | 25 | 815 | 31.3 | 435 | 16.7 | 133 | 328 | .405 | 56 | 168 | .333 | 113 | 157 | .720 | 17 | 95 | 112 | 4.3 | 74 | 77 | 19 | 33 |
| Richardson, D.J. | 26 | 26 | 866 | 33.3 | 326 | 12.5 | 104 | 274 | .380 | 62 | 184 | .337 | 56 | 67 | .836 | 18 | 91 | 109 | 4.2 | 42 | 32 | 5 | 41 |
| Abrams, Tracy | 26 | 25 | 726 | 27.9 | 281 | 10.8 | 101 | 242 | .417 | 23 | 79 | .291 | 56 | 78 | .718 | 23 | 73 | 96 | 3.7 | 92 | 69 | 2 | 38 |
| Bertrand, Joseph | 26 | 2 | 612 | 23.5 | 219 | 8.4 | 87 | 166 | .524 | 15 | 44 | .341 | 30 | 37 | .811 | 44 | 77 | 121 | 4.7 | 18 | 30 | 4 | 25 |
| Griffey, Tyler | 26 | 18 | 568 | 21.8 | 197 | 7.6 | 74 | 165 | .448 | 30 | 91 | .330 | 19 | 26 | .731 | 31 | 59 | 90 | 3.5 | 16 | 22 | 17 | 15 |
| Egwu, Nnanna | 26 | 26 | 639 | 24.6 | 170 | 6.5 | 77 | 171 | .450 | 1 | 5 | .200 | 15 | 24 | .625 | 51 | 71 | 122 | 4.7 | 15 | 30 | 34 | 18 |
| McLaurin, Sam | 26 | 8 | 554 | 21.3 | 111 | 4.3 | 42 | 87 | .483 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 26 | 46 | .565 | 60 | 31 | 91 | 3.5 | 13 | 19 | 17 | 11 |
| Henry, Myke | 25 | 0 | 261 | 10.4 | 83 | 3.3 | 28 | 76 | .368 | 14 | 39 | .359 | 13 | 18 | .722 | 23 | 22 | 45 | 1.8 | 4 | 17 | 7 | 8 |
| LaTulip, Mike | 15 | 0 | 35 | 2.3 | 19 | 1.3 | 4 | 9 | .444 | 3 | 8 | .375 | 8 | 8 | 1.000 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Shaw, Mike | 13 | 0 | 47 | 3.6 | 12 | 0.9 | 4 | 8 | .500 | 3 | 6 | .500 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 0.7 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Berardini, Kevin | 8 | 0 | 9 | 1.1 | 5 | 0.6 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 5 | 6 | .833 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0.3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Langford, Devin | 19 | 0 | 77 | 4.1 | 10 | 0.5 | 4 | 9 | .444 | 1 | 1 | 1.000 | 1 | 2 | .500 | 7 | 8 | 15 | 0.8 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Djimde, Ibby | 10 | 0 | 16 | 1.6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 0 | 0 | .000 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0.2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Team | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 39 | 40 | 79 | | | 6 | | |
| Total | 26 | | 5225 | | 1868 | 71.8 | 658 | 1536 | 0.428 | 209 | 627 | 0.333 | 343 | 471 | 0.728 | 315 | 580 | 895 | 34.4 | 282 | 306 | 108 | 193 |
| Opponents | 26 | | 5225 | | 1724 | 66.3 | 601 | 1412 | 0.426 | 170 | 486 | 0.35 | 352 | 512 | 0.688 | 296 | 610 | 906 | 34.8 | 312 | 379 | 70 | 144 |