# 2017–18 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by first-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. They finished the 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.

## Previous season

The Illini finished the 2016–17 season 20–15, 8–10 in Big Ten play to finish in ninth 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 defeated Valparaiso and Boise State before losing in the quarterfinals to UCF.
On March 11, 2017, Illinois fired head coach John Groce. On March 18, the school hired Brad Underwood as the new head coach.

## Offseason
### Coaching changes

Following Brad Underwood's hiring as head coach, Jamall Walker was retained as an assistant. Underwood hired controversial former South Florida head coach Orlando Antigua who was fired as head coach from South Florida due to an NCAA investigation into academic violations. Underwood also hired Ron Coleman as an assistant and Stephen Gentry as assistant to the head coach.

### Player departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Notes |
| D. J. Williams | 0 | G | 6'7" | 210 | Sophomore | Chicago, Illinois | Transfer to George Washington |
| Jaylon Tate | 1 | G | 6'3" | 170 | Senior | Chicago, Illinois | Graduated and pro for Niagara River Lions |
| Jalen Coleman-Lands | 5 | G | 6'3" | 190 | Sophomore | Indianapolis, Indiana | Transfer to DePaul |
| Tracy Abrams | 13 | G | 6'2" | 185 | Graduate student | Chicago, Illinois | Graduated |
| Malcolm Hill | 21 | G | 6'6" | 225 | Senior | Fairview Heights, Illinois | Graduated |
| Maverick Morgan | 22 | C | 6'10" | 245 | Senior | Springboro, Ohio | Graduated and pro for GTK Gliwice |
| Mike Thorne Jr. | 33 | C | 6'11" | 280 | Graduate student | Fayetteville, North Carolina | Graduated |
| Alex Austin | 44 | G | 6'4" | 190 | Senior | Chicago, Illinois | Graduated |

### Decommits

On January 16, 2016, three-star shooting guard Javon Pickett of Belleville, Illinois verbally committed to attend Illinois in the fall of 2017. After the firing of John Groce, Pickett asked for and received a release of his letter of intent to Illinois. On November 17, 2016, four-star recruit Jeremiah Tilmon announced that he had signed his letter of intent with Illinois the previous day, after a week of press uncertainty. However, after the coaching change at Illinois, Tilmon requested and received a release of his letter of intent with the school.

### Incoming transfers

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Mark Alstork PG | Dayton, OH | Thurgood Marshall (OH) / Ball State / Wright State | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | May 24, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Tyler Underwood PG | Nacogdoches, TX | Nacogdoches (TX) / Oklahoma State | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | Mar 22, 2017 |
| 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: ||||||

### 2017 recruiting class

During Illinois' final home game against Minnesota on February 28, 2016, Da'Monte Williams verbally committed to attend Illinois in the fall of 2017. Williams is the son of former Illinois guard Frank Williams who led the Fighting Illini to three straight NCAA men's basketball tournament appearances, including an Elite Eight appearance in 2001. On November 9, 2016 Trent Frazier signed a national letter of intent after considering Memphis, Georgia, Kansas State and Seton Hall, among others. On April 27, 2017, four-star point guard Mark Smith, Mr. Illinois Basketball for 2017, announced he would attend Illinois. On June 12, Slovenian bigman Matic Vesel committed to Illinois.
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Greg Eboigbodin F | Benin City, NG | University of Detroit Jesuit High School (MI) | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | Jun 6, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Trent Frazier PG | West Palm Beach, FL | Wellington (FL) | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 170 lb (77 kg) | Aug 20, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Mark Smith PG | Edwardsville, IL | Edwardsville IL | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | Apr 27, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Matic Vesel F | Ljubljana, RS | Helios Suns Domžale | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | Jun 12, 2017 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ||||||
| Da'Monte Williams CG | Peoria, IL | Manual (IL) | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Feb 29, 2016 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: 247Sports: 35 ||||||
| 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 2017 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016. "2017 Illinois Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016. "ESPN- Illinois 2017 Basketball Commits". ESPN.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016. "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016. "Illinois 2017 Basketball Commits". 247sports.com. Retrieved January 19, 2016. ||||||

## Schedule and results

Source:
The 2018 Big Ten tournament was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Due to the Big East's use of that venue for their conference tournament, the Big Ten tournament took place one week earlier than usual, ending the week before Selection Sunday. As a result, the Big Ten regular season began in mid-December.
| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| Nov 3, 2017* 7:00 pm | | at Eastern Illinois Disaster Relief Benefit | L 67–80 | – | 16 – Nichols | 9 – Nichols | 4 – Nichols | Lantz Arena Charleston, IL |
| Regular season |||||||||
| Nov 10, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN+ | | Southern Global Sports Invitational | W 102–55 | 1–0 | 17 – 2 tied | 10 – Alstork | 4 – 2 tied | State Farm Center (14,637) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 12, 2017* 5:00 pm, ESPNU | | UT Martin Global Sports Invitational | W 77–74 | 2–0 | 23 – Black | 8 – Black | 3 – 3 tied | State Farm Center (11,882) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 17, 2017* 7:30 pm, BTN | | DePaul Gavitt Tipoff Games | W 82–73 | 3–0 | 21 – Smith | 9 – Jordan | 3 – 4 tied | State Farm Center (11,254) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 19, 2017* 4:00 pm, BTN+ | | Marshall Global Sports Invitational | W 91–74 | 4–0 | 17 – 2 tied | 11 – Nichols | 5 – Lucas | State Farm Center (10,022) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 22, 2017* 6:00 pm, BTN+ | | Augustana (IL) | W 96–62 | 5–0 | 20 – Finke | 10 – Finke | 6 – Lucas | State Farm Center (10,404) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 24, 2017* 6:30 pm, BTN+ | | North Carolina Central Global Sports Invitational | W 86–73 | 6–0 | 22 – Finke | 8 – Black | 6 – Lucas | State Farm Center (11,004) Champaign, IL |
| Nov 28, 2017* 8:00 pm, ESPN2 | | at Wake Forest ACC–Big Ten Challenge | L 73–80 | 6–1 | 20 – Jordan | 7 – 2 tied | 4 – Lucas | LJVM Coliseum (5,782) Winston-Salem, NC |
| Dec 1, 2017 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Northwestern Rivalry | L 68–72 $^{OT}$ | 6–2 (0–1) | 15 – Black | 7 – 2 tied | 3 – Alstork | Allstate Arena (10,017) Rosemont, IL |
| Dec 3, 2017 7:00 pm, BTN | | Maryland | L 91–92 $^{OT}$ | 6–3 (0–2) | 18 – Black | 6 – Nichols | 7 – Frazier | State Farm Center (12,735) Champaign, IL |
| Dec 6, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN | | Austin Peay | W 64–57 | 7–3 | 17 – Finke | 8 – Finke | 4 – Lucas | State Farm Center (12,352) Champaign, IL |
| Dec. 9, 2017* 11:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. UNLV UNLV on the Strip | L 82–89 | 7–4 | 17 – Smith | 10 – Nichols | 4 – Smith | MGM Grand Garden Arena (9,668) Paradise, NV |
| Dec 13, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN | | Longwood | W 92–45 | 8–4 | 22 – Jordan | 8 – Jordan | 5 – Lucas | State Farm Center (12,387) Champaign, IL |
| Dec 16, 2017* 7:00 pm, BTN | | vs. New Mexico State Lou Henson Classic | L 69–74 | 8–5 | 17 – Black | 9 – Finke | 4 – Alstork | United Center (5,695) Chicago, IL |
| Dec 23, 2017* 7:00 pm, ESPN2 | | vs. Missouri Braggin' Rights | W 70–64 | 9–5 | 22 – Frazier | 7 – Black | 2 – 2 tied | Scottrade Center (21,289) St. Louis, MO |
| Dec 30, 2017* 3:00 pm, BTN+ | | Grand Canyon | W 62–58 | 10–5 | 20 – Black | 11 – Black | 3 – Williams | State Farm Center (13,762) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 3, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Minnesota | L 67–77 | 10–6 (0–3) | 14 – Black | 8 – Williams | 6 – Frazier | Williams Arena (11,597) Minneapolis, MN |
| Jan 6, 2018 11:00 pm, BTN | | at Michigan | L 69–79 | 10–7 (0–4) | 17 – Nichols | 7 – Nichols | 6 – Lucas | Crisler Arena (11,888) Ann Arbor, MI |
| Jan 11, 2018 7:00 pm, FS1 | | Iowa Rivalry | L 97–104 $^{OT}$ | 10–8 (0–5) | 27 – Frazier | 5 – Nichols | 4 – Jordan | State Farm Center (11,326) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 15, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | at Nebraska | L 63–64 | 10–9 (0–6) | 19 – Frazier | 10 – Finke | 5 – Frazier | Pinnacle Bank Arena (12,597) Lincoln, NE |
| Jan 19, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1 | | at Wisconsin | L 50–75 | 10–10 (0–7) | 16 – Black | 10 – Alstork | 5 – Frazier | Kohl Center (17,287) Madison, WI |
| Jan 22, 2018 8:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 6 Michigan State | L 74–87 | 10–11 (0–8) | 27 – Nichols | 3 – 2 tied | 4 – Williams | State Farm Center (13,552) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 24, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | Indiana Rivalry | W 73–71 | 11–11 (1–8) | 19 – 2 tied | 6 – Black | 3 – Frazier | State Farm Center (13,003) Champaign, IL |
| Jan 30, 2018 6:00 pm, BTN | | Rutgers | W 91–60 | 12–11 (2–8) | 19 – Nichols | 6 – Nichols | 4 – Frazier | State Farm Center (12,612) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 4, 2018 11:00 pm, FS1 | | at No. 17 Ohio State | L 67–75 | 12–12 (2–9) | 19 – Alstork | 4 – Black | 4 – Frazier | Value City Arena (18,743) Columbus, OH |
| Feb 8, 2018 8:00 pm, BTN | | Wisconsin | L 69–78 | 12–13 (2–10) | 32 – Frazier | 11 – Black | 4 – Lucas | State Farm Center (13,062) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 11, 2018 6:00 pm, BTN | | Penn State | L 52–74 | 12–14 (2–11) | 18 – Black | 6 – 3 tied | 2 – 4 tied | State Farm Center (12,840) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 14, 2018 7:30 pm, BTN | | at Indiana Rivalry | L 68–78 | 12–15 (2–12) | 20 – Black | 7 – Black | 5 – Frazier | Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222) Bloomington, IN |
| Feb 18, 2018 2:30 pm, BTN | | Nebraska | W 72–66 | 13–15 (3–12) | 28 – Black | 7 – 3 tied | 6 – Lucas | State Farm Center (15,544) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 20, 2018 6:00 pm, ESPN | | at No. 2 Michigan State | L 61–81 | 13–16 (3–13) | 20 – Black | 6 – Nichols | 5 – Frazier | Breslin Center (14,797) East Lansing, MI |
| Feb 22, 2018 6:00 pm, FS1 | | No. 9 Purdue | L 86–93 | 13–17 (3–14) | 28 – Black | 6 – Lucas | 6 – Frazier | State Farm Center (14,673) Champaign, IL |
| Feb 25, 2018 2:00 pm, BTN | | at Rutgers | W 75–62 | 14–17 (4–14) | 19 – Finke | 8 – Williams | 4 – Frazier | Louis Brown Athletic Center Piscataway, NJ |
| Big Ten tournament |||||||||
| Feb 28, 2018 5:30 pm, BTN | (13) | vs. (12) Iowa First round | L 87–96 | 14–18 | Nichols – 31 | 4 – Finke | 8 – Lucas | Madison Square Garden New York City, NY |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. |||||||||

## Awards and honors
### In-season awards
#### Trent Frazier

* Big Ten Freshman of the Week, December 26, 2017
* Big Ten Freshman of the Week, February 12, 2018

### Postseason awards
#### Trent Frazier

* All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (media)
* All-Big Ten Freshmen Team

#### Leron Black

* All-Big Ten Honorable Mention (coaches and media)