2015–16 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

American college basketball season March 2026 August 2023 2015–16 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball 2015–16 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team.jpg 300px Big Ten Conference Big Ten 15–19 5–13 John Groce Dustin Ford Paris Parham Jamall Walker State Farm CenterPrairie Capital Convention Center Malcolm Hill 4th 4th 4th 4th Tracy Abrams Malcolm Hill Kendrick Nunn Jaylon Tate The 2015–16 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fourth year head coach John Groce, the Illini played their home games at State Farm Center and were members of the Big Ten Conference. In November 2015, the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Illinois hosted Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball for five games while renovations to the State Farm Center were completed.http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/103014aad.html Prairie Capital Convention Center to Host Illini in November 2015 October 30, 2014 October 30, 2014 University of Illinois DIA dead https://web.archive.org/web/20141030193441/http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/103014aad.html October 30, 2014 They finished the season 15–19, 5–13 in Big Ten play to finish in 12th place. The Illini defeated Minnesota and Iowa to advance to the quarterfinals of the Big Ten tournament, where they lost to Purdue. Previous season The Fighting Illini finished the 2014-15 Season with an overall record of 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 were invited to the NIT where they lost in the first round to Alabama. Offseason Departures Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes Ahmad Starks 3 G 5'9" 170 RS Senior Chicago, IL Graduated & pro for Eco Örebro Aaron Cosby 11 G 6'3" 205 RS Junior Louisville, KY Graduated & transferred to Western Kentucky Ryan Schmidt 14 G 6'0" 180 Senior Bloomington, IL Graduated Rayvonte Rice 24 G 6'4" 230 RS Senior Champaign, IL Graduated & pro for Tezenis Verona Austin Colbert 31 F 6'9" 200 Sophomore Chesapeake, VA Transferred to Old Dominion Nnanna Egwu 32 C 6'11" 250 Senior Chicago, IL Graduated & pro for Erie BayHawks Incoming transfer students Darius Paul was immediately eligible to play during the 15-16 season due to the junior college student transfer exception rules of the NCAA. While overseas on Illinois' preseason European trip, Paul was arrested in Deauville, France on August 14, 2015 and charged with vandalism, public intoxication and resisting arrest.https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/08/16/illinois-darius-paul-suspended-arrested-france Illinois F Darius Paul suspended after arrest on team trip in France Sports Illustrated August 16, 2015 January 19, 2016 Head coach John Groce later dismissed Paul from the Illinois basketball team on August 21, 2015.https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/13486652/illinois-fighting-illini-dismiss-darius-paul-arrest-france Illinois forward Darius Paul dismissed after arrest in France ESPN August 21, 2015 January 19, 2016 Khalid Lewis and Mike Thorne Jr. are immediately eligible to play during the 15-16 season due to the graduate student transfer exception rules of the NCAA. Kipper Nichols was granted release of his scholarship from Tulane on September 22, 2015. He will join Illinois before the spring 2016 semester, and will be ineligible to play as a redshirt transfer until the spring of 2017.http://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/-4045883327135509908/former-st-edward-basketball-star-kipper-nichols-released-from-tulane-scholarship/ Former St. Edward basketball star Kipper Nichols granted release from Tulane scholarship 2015-09-22 2015-11-11 Plain Deal Publishing Bielik, Tim no no 2015 Khalid Lewishttp://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/eye-on-college-basketball/25264075/la-salle-transfer-khalid-lewis-commits-to-illinois-immediately-eligible La Salle's Khalid Lewis commits to Illinois, immediately eligible 2015-08-08 2015-08-10 CBS Sports Rothstein, Jon PG Trenton, NJ Trenton Catholic Academy / Delaware / La Salle 6 3 185 08/08/2015 2 Kipper Nicholshttp://highschoolsports.cleveland.com/news/article/-9113286660320890279/former-st-edward-basketball-star-kipper-nichols-signs-with-illinois/ Former St. Edward basketball star Kipper Nichols signs with Illinois 2015-11-11 2015-11-11 Plain Deal Publishing Bielik, Tim SF Lakewood, OH St. Edward / Tulane 6 6 215 11/11/2015 3 3 3 Darius Paulhttp://www.beaumontenterprise.com/sports/article/LSC-PA-Seahawk-Paul-intends-to-play-for-Illini-5889501.php LSC-PA Seahawk Paul intends to play for Illini November 12, 2014 November 13, 2014 The Beaumont Enterprise Enterprise By The PF Gurnee, IL Warren Township HS / Western Michigan / Lamar State College–Port Arthur 6 8 225 11/12/2014 3 3 Mike Thorne Jr.http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/chi-illinois-basketball-mike-thorne-jr-20150418-story.html Illini land Charlotte transfer Mike Thorne, Jr. 2015-04-18 2015-04-18 Chicago Tribune Ryan, Shannon C Fayetteville, NC Trinity Christian School / Charlotte 6 11 270 04/18/2015 2 3 2015 recruiting class On March 5, 2015 Illinois signee Jalen Coleman-Lands was named one of 26 high school seniors who participated in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 17, 2015, at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York.http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/mens-basketball/2015-03-05/coleman-lands-selected-jordan-game.html Coleman-Lands selected for Jordan game News-Gazette Jackson, Marcus 2015-03-05 2015-03-10 Coleman-Lands is the second Illini to be selected to play in the Jordan Classic, joining Dee Brown who played for the Red team in 2002.http://jordanbrandclassic.com/history/ All-Time Jordan Brand All-Americans Jordan Brand Classic 2015 2015-03-10 https://web.archive.org/web/20180405090218/https://jordanbrandclassic.com/history/ 2018-04-05 dead no no 2015 Jalen Coleman-Lands PG/SG Indianapolis, IN La Lumiere (IN) 6 3 160 9/23/2014 4 4 4 4 87 Aaron Jordan SG Plainfield, IL Plainfield East (IL) 6 4 170 1/4/2014 4 4 4 4 85 D. J. Williams SF Chicago, IL Simeon (IL) 6 7 205 11/5/2013 4 4 4 4 88 2015 Illinois 2015 Basketball Commitments 2015 Illinois Basketball Commits Illinois 2015 Basketball Commits ESPN Recruiting Nation Basketball illinois 169 illinois 356 11 12 10 15 2015-03-19 yes 22 illinois-fighting-illini Roster 2015 Illinois Fighting Illini white white #E04E39 #13294B yes D. J. Williams 0 SF 6 7 205 FR Chicago, IL Simeon High School no Jaylon Tate 1 PG 6 3 170 JR Chicago, IL Simeon High School y C Kipper Nichols 2 SF 6 6 220 FR yes Cleveland, OH St. Edward High School no Khalid Lewis 3 PG 6 3 185 GS Trenton, NJ Trenton Catholic Academy/La Salle University no Jalen Coleman-Lands 5 SG 6 3 160 FR Indianapolis, IN La Lumiere School no Mike LaTulip 10 PG 6 1 170 SR yes Arlington Heights, IL Prospect High School n W Leron Black 12 PF 6 7 220 SO y Memphis, TN White Station High School y S Tracy Abrams 13 PG 6 2 185 GS yes y y Chicago, IL Mount Carmel High School y C Malcolm Hill 21 GF 6 6 230 JR Belleville, IL Belleville High School-East y C basketball Maverick Morgan 22 C 6 10 250 JR Springboro, OH Springboro High School y Aaron Jordan 23 SG 6 4 170 FR Plainfield, IL East High School no Kendrick Nunn 25 SG 6 3 190 JR Chicago, IL Simeon High School y C/S Mike Thorne Jr. 33 C 6 11 270 SR y y yes Fayetteville, NC Trinity Christian/UNC-Charlotte no Darius Paul 35 F 6 8 220 SR y Gurnee, IL Warren Township High School/Lamar State College–Port Arthur y S Michael Finke 43 FC 6 10 220 FR y Champaign, IL Centennial High School n Alex Austin 44 G 6 4 185 JR y Chicago, IL Mount Carmel High School/Eastern Illinois n W Cameron Liss 45 SF 6 6 200 SO Northbrook, IL Glenbrook North High School n W John Groce (Taylor) Dustin Ford (Ohio) Jamall Walker (Saint Louis) Paris Parham (Minnesota State) https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/2015-16 January 11, 2016 Depth chart Illinois Fighting Illini F/C Michael Finke Maverick Morgan G/F Malcolm Hill D.J. Williams Cameron Liss SG Kendrick Nunn Alex Austin Aaron Jordan Jalen Coleman-Lands Jaylon Tate Khalid Lewis Updated 2015-12-10http://www.fightingillini.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=11344 2015-12-10 Game 10 box score University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignDecember 2015 Regular season Injuries Coach Groce announced on July 3 that incoming freshman Jalen Coleman-Lands had suffered a stress fracture and would be held out from basketball activities indefinitely. The injury forced Coleman-Lands to miss the team's European exhibition trip at the beginning of August.http://www.csnchicago.com/big-ten/illinis-jalen-coleman-lands-sidelined-stress-fracture Illini's Jalen Coleman-Lands sidelined with stress fracture CSN Chicago Duber, Vinnie 2015-07-03 2015-11-09 However, Coleman-Lands was cleared for basketball activities at the end of September and played in the team's exhibition game against the University of Illinois at Springfield on November 8.http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/mens-basketball/2015-10-11/coleman-lands-gains-new-view-after-injury.html Coleman-Lands gains new view after injury News-Gazette Jackson, Marcus 2015-10-11 2015-11-09 On July 28, Coach Groce announced that redshirt graduate student point guard Tracy Abrams had suffered an Achilles tendon rupture during summer workouts which would cause him to miss the entire 2015-16 season. The injury forced Abrams to use his second medical redshirt so he can return for the 2016-17 season for a sixth year of eligibility.https://www.si.com/college-basketball/2015/07/28/illinois-illini-tracy-abrams-injury-achilles Sports Illustrated Illinois PG Tracy Abrams to miss second straight season 2015-07-28 2015-11-09 On October 8, it was announced that sophomore Leron Black would miss 4–6 weeks after having surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee. Black returned to the lineup during the win against North Dakota State on November 15, 2015.https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/13840694/illinois-fighting-illini-look-malcolm-hill-kendrick-nunn-leron-black-4-6-weeks Illini look to cover for Leron Black, who will undergo meniscus surgery ESPN 2015-10-08 2015-11-09http://www.fightingillini.com/boxscore.aspx?path=mbball&id=11330 2015-11-09 Men's Basketball vs North Dakota State on 11/15/2015 University of Illinois at Urbana–ChampaignDecember 2015 However, in the game against North Dakota State, Black suffered a contusion on his repaired knee. After sitting out games against Yale and University of Illinois at Chicago, Coach Groce announced on December 17, 2015 that Black would be out indefinitely due to persistent swelling and soreness in his knee.http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/mens-basketball/2015-12-17/black-out-indefinitely.html Black out indefinitely News Gazette December 17, 2015 December 18, 2015 On October 20, Coach Groce announced that junior Kendrick Nunn would miss about 8 weeks after having surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left thumb.http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-illini-guard-kendrick-nunn-out-eight-weeks-report-20151020-story.html Illini guard Kendrick Nunn out eight weeks with thumb injury Chicago Tribune 2015-10-20 2015-11-09 Ryan, Shannon During the first half of the season opener loss to North Florida, junior point guard Jaylon Tate suffered a dislocated finger that required surgery later that evening.https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/14130345/illinois-fighting-illini-point-guard-jaylon-tate-undergoes-finger-surgery Illinois point guard Jaylon Tate undergoes finger surgery ESPN 2015-11-14 2015-11-16 Both Nunn and Tate returned from injuries during a win against UAB in Niceville, Florida.http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/mens-basketball/2015-11-27/nunn-sparkles-return.html Nunn sparkles in return News Gazette Jackson, Marcus 2015-11-27 2015-11-30 During the first half of a loss to Iowa State, graduate transfer Mike Thorne, Jr. suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee. He will be out indefinitely.http://www.news-gazette.com/sports/illini-sports/football/2015-11-30/thorne-tears-meniscus.html Thorne tears meniscus News Gazette Jackson, Marcus 2015-11-30 2015-11-30 Schedule and results Source:https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule/2015-16 2015-16 Men's Basketball Schedule yes yes |- !colspan=12 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"| European trip Aug 11, 2015 1:00pm yes Waregem Sportcentrum de Treffer Waregem, Belgium 68–63 Black 16 Black 14 Tied 2 417 – Aug 12, 2015 yes Netherlands national team Topsportcentrum Rotterdam Rotterdam, Netherlands 54–81 Tied 10 Black 8 Tate 5 1,500 – Aug 15, 2015 1:00pm yes Bretigny Select Ecole Élémentaire Joliot Curie Gymnase Brétigny-sur-Orge, France 95–73 Black 15 Black 10 Tate 6 544 – Aug 17, 2015 7:45:00pm yes AMW Select Halle Georges Carpentier Paris, France 96–77 Black 21 Black 15 Tate 6 310 – |- !colspan=12 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"| Exhibition Nov 8, 2015 2:00pm yes 2015 Illinois-Springfield Prairie Stars Illinois-Springfield Prairie Capital Convention Center Springfield, IL 104–69 Coleman-Lands 20 Thorne 9 Tied 4 5,833 – |- !colspan=12 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"| Non-conference regular season Nov 13, 2015 7:00pm yes North Florida Prairie Capital Convention Center Springfield, IL BTN+ 81–93 Thorne 25 Thorne 14 Hill 5 5,186 0–1 Nov 15, 2015 2:00pm yes North Dakota State Prairie Capital Convention Center Springfield, IL ESPN3 80–74 Thorne 21 Thorne 8 Hill 5 5,332 1–1 Nov 18, 2015 6:00pm yes yes Providence Dunkin' Donuts Center Providence, RI Gavitt Tipoff Games FS1 59–60 Coleman-Lands 17 Hill 11 Austin 4 8,069 1–2 Nov 21, 2015 7:30pm yes Chattanooga Prairie Capital Convention Center Springfield, IL Emerald Coast Classic BTN 77–81 Hill 25 Thorne 11 Lewis 4   1–3 Nov 23, 2015 7:00pm yes Chicago State Prairie Capital Convention Center Springfield, IL Emerald Coast Classic ESPN3 82–79 Finke 17 Thorne 9 Hill 7 5,023 2–3 Nov 27, 2015 8:30pm yes yes UAB Northwest Florida State College Niceville, FL Emerald Coast Classic semifinals CBSSN 72–58 Nunn 18 Thorne, Jr. 8 Hill 6 2,222 3–3 Nov 28, 2015 6:15:00pm yes yes Iowa State 4 Northwest Florida State College Niceville, FL Emerald Coast Classic championship game CBSSN 73–84 Hill 20 Black 8 Lewis 5 2,222 3–4 Dec 2, 2015 8:15:00pm yes Notre Dame State Farm Center Champaign, IL ACC–Big Ten Challenge ESPN2 79–84 Hill 19 Tied 7 Tate 6 14,953 3–5 Dec 5, 2015 2:00pm yes Western Carolina State Farm Center Champaign, IL ESPN3 80–68 Nunn 27 Finke 6 Tate 3 11,455 4–5 Dec 9, 2015 7:00pm yes Yale State Farm Center Champaign, IL ESPN3 69–65 Nunn 28 Hill 5 Hill 7 11,648 5–5 Dec 12, 2015 1:00pm yes yes UIC United Center Chicago, IL ESPN3 83–79 Hill 22 Tied 5 Lewis 8 5,151 6–5 Dec 19, 2015 2:00pm yes South Dakota State Farm Center Champaign, IL ESPN3 91–79 Hill 34 Hill 11 Lewis 6 11,714 7–5 Dec 23, 2015 6:00pm yes yes Missouri Scottrade Center St. Louis, MO Braggin' Rights ESPN2 68–63 Hill 21 Nunn 11 Lewis 4 14,456 8–5 |- !colspan=12 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"| Big Ten regular season Dec 30, 2015 2:00pm Michigan State Farm Center Champaign, IL ESPN2 68–78 Nunn 23 Finke 8 Tate 4 13,974 8–6 0–1 Jan 3, 2016 4:00pm yes Ohio State Value City Arena Columbus, OH BTN 73–75 Tied 14 Tied 7 Tate 5 12,798 8–7 0–2 Jan 7, 2016 8:00pm yes Michigan State 5 Breslin Student Events Center East Lansing, MI ESPN 54–79 Morgan 15 Finke 7 Tied 2 14,797 8–8 0–3 Jan 10, 2016 5:00pm Purdue 20 State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 84–70 Hill 30 Hill 8 Tied 3 12,246 9–8 1–3 Jan 16, 2016 1:30pm Nebraska State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 67–78 Hill 17 Nunn 5 Hill 7 12,510 9–9 1–4 Jan 19, 2016 6:00pm yes Indiana Assembly Hall Bloomington, IN Rivalry ESPN 69–103 Hill 20 Thorne, Jr. 9 Tate 5 17,472 9–10 1–5 Jan 23, 2016 7:30pm yes Minnesota Williams Arena Minneapolis, MN BTN 76–71 OT Hill 28 Finke 16 Tate 6 11,026 10–10 2–5 Jan 28, 2016 8:00pm Ohio State State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 63–68 OT Nunn 24 Hill 8 Tate 3 13,263 10–11 2–6 Jan 31, 2016 6:30pm Wisconsin State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 55–63 Hill 22 Morgan 4 Tied 2 13,609 10–12 2–7 Feb 3, 2016 5:30pm yes Rutgers The RAC Piscataway, NJ BTN 110–101 3OT Hill 34 Hill 14 Lewis 8 4,500 11–12 3–7 Feb 7, 2016 12:00pm Iowa 5 State Farm Center Champaign, IL Rivalry BTN 65–77 Coleman-Lands 17 Hill 8 Hill 4 13,849 11–13 3–8 Feb 13, 2016 7:00pm yes Northwestern Welsh-Ryan Arena Evanston, IL Rivalry BTN 56–58 Nunn 13 Hill 13 Hill 8 8,117 11–14 3–9 Feb 16, 2016 8:00pm Rutgers State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 82–66 Hill 22 Hill 10 Lewis 8 11,323 12–14 4–9 Feb 21, 2016 6:30pm yes Wisconsin Kohl Center Madison, WI BTN 60–69 Hill 20 Hill 7 Lewis 4 17,287 12–15 4–10 Feb 25, 2016 8:00pm Indiana 18 State Farm Center Champaign, IL Rivalry ESPN 47–74 Coleman-Lands 21 Nunn 4 Coleman-Lands 2 12,857 12–16 4–11 Feb 28, 2016 7:00pm Minnesota State Farm Center Champaign, IL BTN 84–71 Nunn 25 Hill 7 Hill 5 12,008 13–16 5–11 Mar 3, 2016 6:00pm yes Maryland 14 Xfinity Center College Park, MD ESPN 55–81 Morgan 21 Morgan 10 Tate 6 17,950 13–17 5–12 Mar 6, 2016 11am yes Penn State Bryce Jordan Center University Park, PA BTN 79–86 2OT Hill 39 Hill 13 Williams 2 9,104 13–18 5–13 |- !colspan=12 style="Illinois Fighting Illini #FFFFFF"|Big Ten tournament Mar 9, 2016 3:30pm yes Minnesota 13 Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN First round ESPN2 12 85–52 Finke 17 Hill 6 Tate 4 16,528 14–18 Mar 10, 2016 1:30pm yes Iowa 20 5 Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Second round BTN 12 68–66 Coleman-Lands 17 Morgan 7 Hill 5 15,707 15–18 Mar 11, 2016 1:30pm yes Purdue 13 4 Bankers Life Fieldhouse Indianapolis, IN Quarterfinals ESPN 12 58–89 Morgan 17 Hill 7 Tied 2 18,355 15–19 AP Poll Central Time References Illinois Category:Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball seasons Illinois Fighting Illini men's b Illinois Fighting Illini men's b