2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 Basketball 2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini 2014–15 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team.jpg 300px Big Ten Conference Big Ten 19–14 9–9 John Groce Dustin Ford Paris Parham Jamall Walker 3rd 3rd 3rd 3rd State Farm Center Nnanna Egwu Rayvonte Rice Las Vegas Invitational champions NIT First round Tracy Abrams Nnanna Egwu Rayvonte Rice Ahmad Starks 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.http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/leron-black-commits-illinois Recruiting Insider: White Station's Leron Black commits to Illinois The Commercial Appeal Martin, John September 1, 2013 November 12, 2014 Black is the reigning Tennessee Mr. Basketball and is Illinois' highest rated recruit since Portland Trail Blazers Forward-center Meyers Leonard.http://tssaa.org/class-aaa-mr-basketball-winner-leron-black-from-white-station-high-school/ Class AAA Mr. Basketball Winner: LeRon Black from White Station High School May 13, 2014 March 15, 2014 Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association https://web.archive.org/web/20140520100008/http://tssaa.org/class-aaa-mr-basketball-winner-leron-black-from-white-station-high-school/ May 20, 2014 dead 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.http://herald-review.com/sports/illini/centenniall-s-finke-commits-to-illinois/article_50437854-44ea-11e2-b413-001a4bcf887a.html Centenniall's Finke commits to Illinois Herald & Review Tupper, Mark December 13, 2012 November 12, 2014https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jeff-finke-1.html Jeff Finke Sports Reference 2014 November 12, 2014 no no 2014 Leron Black PF Memphis, TN White Station (TN) 6 7 215 September 1, 2013 4 4 4 4 Michael Finke PF Champaign, IL Champaign Centennial (IL) 6 9 210 December 12, 2012 3 3 3 3 2014 2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List 2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List 2014 Illinois Basketball Commitment List illinois illinois 405 356 2014-03-24 yes 56 36 illinois-fighting-illini Walk-ons no no 2012 Alex Austin G Chicago, IL Mount Carmel / Eastern Illinois 6 4 185 July 2014 2 85 Cameron Liss F Northbrook, IL Glenbrook North 6 6 200 July 2014 Ryan Schmidt G Bloomington, IL Bloomington Central Catholic 6 0 185 January 23, 2015 Roster 2014 Illinois Fighting Illini y white white #Illinois Fighting Illini 1 #Illinois Fighting Illini 3 Jaylon Tate 1 G 6 3 170 SO Simeon High School Chicago, IL y Ahmad Starks 3 G 5 9 170 SR y Whitney Young High School Chicago, IL y C Mike LaTulip 10 G 6 1 170 JR Prospect High School Arlington Heights, IL n Aaron Cosby 11 G 6 3 205 JR y Northfield Mount Hermon School/Seton Hall Louisville, KY n S Leron Black 12 F 6 7 220 FR White Station High School Memphis, TN y Tracy Abrams 13 G 6 2 185 SR yes y Mount Carmel High School Chicago, IL y C Ryan Schmidt 14 G 6 0 185 SR Bloomington Central Catholic High School Bloomington, IL n W Malcolm Hill 21 G 6 6 230 SO Belleville High School-East Belleville, IL y basketball Maverick Morgan 22 C 6 10 250 SO Springboro High School Springboro, OH y Rayvonte Rice 24 G 6 4 230 SR y Champaign Centennial High School/Drake Champaign, IL y C Kendrick Nunn 25 G 6 3 190 SO Simeon High School Chicago, IL y Austin Colbert 31 F 6 9 210 SO Gill St. Bernard's School Chesapeake, VA n Nnanna Egwu 32 F/C 6 11 250 SR St. Ignatius High School Chicago, IL y C Michael Finke 43 F 6 10 230 FR yes Champaign Centennial High School Champaign, IL n Alex Austin 44 G 6 4 185 JR yes Mount Carmel High School Chicago, IL n W Cameron Liss 45 F 6 6 200 FR Glenbrook North High School Northbrook, IL n W John Groce (Taylor) Dustin Ford (Ohio) Jamall Walker (Saint Louis) Paris Parham (Minnesota State) https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2014-15 2015-02-26 Depth chart Illinois Fighting Illini Nnanna Egwu Maverick Morgan Malcolm Hill Leron Black Austin Colbert Cameron Liss G Rayvonte Rice Kendrick Nunn Ryan Schmidt G Jaylon Tate Ahmad Starks Mike LaTulip http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011015aab.html Game 17 Notes IlliniHoops at Nebraska 2015-01-10 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150405090810/http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011015aab.html 2015-04-05 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.http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/24705556/illinois-point-guard-tracy-abrams-to-miss-season-with-torn-acl CBS Sports Illinois point guard Tracy Abrams to miss season with torn ACL Parrish, Gary 2014-09-11 2015-01-22 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.http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-rayvonte-rice-broken-hand-20150106-story.html Chicago Tribune Rayvonte Rice, Illini's leading scorer, out indefinitely Ryan, Shannon 2015-01-06 2015-01-22 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.http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/01/21/eye-injury-to-sideline-illinois-junior-guard-up-to-two-weeks/ NBC Sports Eye injury to sideline Illinois junior guard up to two weeks Johnson, Raphielle 2015-01-21 2015-01-22 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.http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/ryan_schmidt_946937.html Ryan Schmidt Illinois DIA 2015-01-23 2015-01-23 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150123220117/http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/ryan_schmidt_946937.html 2015-01-23 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.https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/02/20/illinois-illini-aaron-cosby-transfer Illinois guard Aaron Cosby will transfer Sports Illustrated 2015-02-20 2015-02-23http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/mens-basketball/2015-02-20/groce-cosby-i-wish-him-nothing-best.html Groce on Cosby: 'I wish him nothing but the best' News-Gazette Jackson, Marcus 2015-02-20 2015-02-23 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.http://collegebasketballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/12/05/illinois-to-honor-starters-on-2004-05-national-runner-up-squad-with-commemorative-bobbleheads/ NBC Sports Illinois to honor starters on 2004-05 national runner-up squad with commemorative bobbleheads 2014-12-05 Johnson, Raphielle 2015-01-21 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.http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011415aac.html Illinois DIA 2004-05 'Starting 5' bobblehead set commemorates 10-year anniversary of historic season 2015-01-15 2015-01-21 dead https://web.archive.org/web/20150118104544/http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011415aac.html 2015-01-18 Schedule and results Source:https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2014-15 2014-15 Men's Basketball Schedule yes yes |- !colspan=12 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"|Exhibition Nov 7 7:00 pm yes 2014 Quincy Hawks Quincy State Farm Center Champaign, IL 91–62 Hill 20 Egwu 13 Tied 5 14,422 – |- !colspan=12 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"|Non-conference regular season Nov 14 8:00 pm yes Georgia Southern State Farm Center Champaign, IL ESPN3 80–71 Rice 24 Hill 7 Tied 3 15,626 1–0 Nov 16 5:00 pm yes Coppin State State Farm Center Champaign, IL 114–56 Tied 18 Hill 9 Tate 7 12,272 2–0 Nov 21 7:00 pm yes Austin Peay State Farm Center Champaign, IL Las Vegas Invitational ESPN3 107–66 Tied 16 Tied 6 Tate 5 16,337 3–0 Nov 24 7:00 pm yes Brown State Farm Center Champaign, IL Las Vegas Invitational ESPN3 89–68 Cosby 17 Rice 10 Tied 4 11,422 4–0 Nov 27 4:00 pm yes yes Indiana State Orleans Arena Paradise, NV Las Vegas Invitational Semifinals FS1 88–62 Rice 21 Tied 8 Cosby 4 N/A 5–0 Nov 28 9:30 pm yes yes Baylor Orleans Arena Paradise, NV Las Vegas Invitational Championship FS1 62–54 Tied 17 Egwu 8 Starks 5 N/A 6–0 Dec 2 8:00 pm yes yes 24 Miami (FL) 15 BankUnited Center Coral Gables, FL ACC–Big Ten Challenge ESPN2 61–70 Rice 22 Rice 12 Hill 3 6,086 6–1 Dec 6 1:00 pm yes 24 American State Farm Center Champaign, IL ESPN3 70–55 Hill 13 Egwu 7 Tate 4 13,924 7–1 Dec 9 6:00 pm yes yes Villanova 7 Madison Square Garden New York City, NY Jimmy V Classic ESPN 59–73 Hill 20 Egwu 9 Starks 4 11,617 7–2 Dec 13 6:00 pm yes yes Oregon United Center Chicago, IL BTN 70–77 Rice 29 Tied 7 Tied 4 13,759 7–3 Dec 17 6:00 pm yes Hampton State Farm Center Champaign, IL ESPNU 73–55 Nunn 16 Black 8 Tied 3 12,564 8–3 Dec 20 1:00 pm yes yes Missouri Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO Braggin' Rights ESPN2 62–59 Rice 19 Tied 7 Rice 3 20,079 9–3 Dec 27 8:00 pm yes Kennesaw State State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 93–45 Rice 21 Hill 9 Tate 7 16,158 10–3 |- !colspan=9 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"|Big Ten regular season Dec 30 2:00 pm yes Michigan Crisler Center Ann Arbor, MI ESPN2 65–73 OT Hill 19 Rice 11 Rice 6 12,707 10–4 0–1 Jan 3 2:30 pm yes Ohio State 20 Value City Arena Columbus, OH ESPN2 61–77 Rice 20 Rice 7 Tied 4 16,028 10–5 0–2 Jan 7 8:00 pm Maryland 11 State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 64–58 Hill 28 Egwu 9 Tate 4 12,896 11–5 1–2 Jan 11 7:30 pm yes Nebraska Pinnacle Bank Arena Lincoln, NE BTN 43–53 Hill/Nunn 12 Egwu 10 Tied 2 15,514 11–6 1–3 Jan 14 8:00 pm yes Northwestern Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL Rivalry BTN 72–67 Nunn 25 Hill 6 Starks 4 7,652 12–6 2–3 Jan 18 12:00 pm Indiana State Farm Center Champaign, IL Rivalry BTN 74–80 Nunn 24 Black 9 Starks 6 17,085 12–7 2–4 Jan 21 8:00 pm Purdue State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 66–57 Hill 18 Black 13 Tate 6 12,965 13–7 3–4 Jan 24 1:15 pm yes Minnesota Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN BTN 71–79 Tied 18 Black 9 Tate 9 13,421 13–8 3–5 Jan 31 12:00 pm Penn State State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 60–58 Hill 27 Black 7 Tate 5 14,597 14–8 4–5 Feb 3 8:30 pm Rutgers State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 66–54 Nunn 21 Nunn 6 Tate 6 12,838 15–8 5–5 Feb 7 11:00 am yes Michigan State Breslin Center East Lansing, MI ESPN 59–54 Hill 19 Egwu 9 Nunn 3 14,797 16–8 6–5 Feb 12 8:00 pm Michigan State Farm Center Champaign, IL ESPN 64–52 OT Nunn 21 Egwu 12 Starks 4 17,087 17–8 7–5 Feb 15 12:00 pm yes Wisconsin 5 Kohl Center Madison, WI CBS 49–68 Hill 15 Egwu 9 Starks 2 17,279 17–9 7–6 Feb 22 6:30 pm Michigan State State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 53–60 Hill 17 Rice 5 Rice 3 16,108 17–10 7–7 Feb 25 8:00 pm yes Iowa Carver–Hawkeye Arena Iowa City, IA Rivalry BTN 60–68 Rice 20 Rice 9 Nunn 3 14,831 17–11 7–8 Feb 28 6:00 pm Northwestern State Farm Center Champaign, IL Rivalry BTN 86–60 Rice 19 Morgan 8 Tied 3 15,471 18–11 8–8 Mar 4 9:00 pm Nebraska State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 69–57 Rice 23 Egwu 8 Tied 2 17,085 19–11 9–8 Mar 7 3:30 pm yes Purdue Mackey Arena West Lafayette, IN BTN 58–63 Rice 25 Egwu 9 Hill 2 14,846 19–12 9–9 |- !colspan=9 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"|Big Ten tournament Mar 12 11:00 am yes 8 Michigan 9 United Center Chicago, IL second round BTN 55–73 Hill 13 Rice 9 Tate 2 16,028 19–13 |- !colspan=9 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"|NIT Mar 17 8:00 pm yes yes 3 Alabama 6 Coleman Coliseum Tuscaloosa, AL First round ESPN 58–79 Hill 22 Egwu 8 Hill 6 2,348 19–14 AP Poll Central Time Honors and awards On March 9, 2015, The Big Ten Conference announced most of its conference awards.http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big10/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/2015allbigten.pdf 2014-15 All-Big Ten Men's Basketball Team 2015-03-10 2015-03-09 CSTV.com 2018-04-29 https://web.archive.org/web/20180429212831/http://grfx.cstv.com/photos/schools/big10/sports/m-baskbl/auto_pdf/2014-15/misc_non_event/2015allbigten.pdf dead PlayerHonor Rayvonte Rice All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Malcolm Hill All-Big Ten Honorable Mention Nnanna Egwu All-Defensive Team References 2 Illinois Category:Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball seasons Illinois Illinois Illinois