1942–43 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 1942–43 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois. == Regular season == The 1942–43 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois, finishing the season with a 17–1 record. Illinois won the Big Ten Conference Title and finished the regular season as the nations' top ranked team in the Dunkel Index. The season was cut short as three of the five starters headed off to active duty in the armed forces. Paced by a group of players known as the Whiz Kids, the team consisted of 20-year-old All-America forward Andy Phillip and teenagers Ken Menke, Gene Vance, Jack Smiley and team captain Art Mathisen. These players were so dominant in the Big Ten that only Northwestern's Otto Graham could crack the all-conference team. The Army drafted Mathisen, Menke and Smiley. Head coach Doug Mills made a decision in February 1943 that all five always supported: the club did not participate in either the NCAA or NIT tournament. In June 1943, Vance and Phillip joined the military as well. The team was retroactively listed as the top team of the season by the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Four of the five, minus Mathisen, returned to Illinois and tried to recapture the glory for one more season in 1946–47 after the war ended, but the chemistry had changed as well as their talent. Illinois went 14–6. The final living Whiz Kid, Gene Vance, died in 2012. === Roster === == Schedule == Source == Player stats == == Awards and honors == Andy Phillip National Player of the Year Consensus All-American Converse 1st team All-American Helms 1st team All-American Pic Magazine 1st team All-American Look Magazine 1st team All-American Sporting News 1st team All-American Associated Press 1st team All-American United Press International 1st team All-American National Enterprise Association 1st team All-American Big Ten Player of the Year Team Most Valuable Player Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005) Gene Vance Converse Honorable Mention All-American Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005) Jack Smiley Converse 3rd team All-American Art Mathisen Converse Honorable mention All-American == References ==