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1980–81 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

American college basketball season

American college basketball season

FieldValue
modeBasketball
year1980–81
teamIllinois Fighting Illini
image1980–81_Illinois_Fighting_Illini_men's_basketball_team.jpg
image_size300px
conferenceBig Ten Conference
short_confBig Ten
CoachRank18
APRank19
record21–8
conf_record12–6
head_coachLou Henson
asst_coach1Tony Yates
asst_coach2Dick Nagy
asst_coach3Bob Hull
hc_year6th
ac1_year7th
ac2_year2nd
ac3_year1st
captainDerek Holcombcaptain2 =Eddie Johnsoncaptain3 =Mark Smith
mvpEddie Johnson
stadiumAssembly Hall
championIllini Classic, Champion
bowlNCAA Men's Division I Tournament
bowl_resultRegional semifinals

The 1980–81 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

Regular season

In 1981, Illinois made strides in its return to the national spotlight with a 21-8 record, a third-place Big Ten finish and an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The team received a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament and beat Wyoming, 67-65, in Los Angeles to advance to the regionals in Salt Lake City, where Illinois lost to Kansas State, 57-52. During this season, the Fighting Illini led the Big Ten in scoring for the second consecutive season and were again led by Eddie Johnson and Mark Smith. Guards Craig Tucker and Derek Harper arrived to add backcourt punch, and Harper began his Illini career being named First-Team Freshman All-America by ESPN and ABC.

This season marked a change in location and name for the annual game with Missouri. The name was altered from the "Show-Me Classic" to the "Braggin' Rights" and took on a permanent location, St. Louis, with the St. Louis Arena as its original home. Prior to 1980, the location of the game alternated from Assembly Hall and the Hearnes Center. Since 1994, the game is played at the Scottrade Center.

Roster

  • Lou Henson (New Mexico State University) (6th year)
  • Tony Yates (University of Cincinnati) (7th year)
  • Dick Nagy (Hardin-Simmons University) (2nd year)
  • Bob Hull (1st year)

Schedule

Source |- !colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Non-Conference regular season |- !colspan=9 style="background:#DF4E38; color:#FFFFFF;"|Big Ten regular season |- !colspan=9 style="text-align: center; background:#DF4E38"|NCAA Tournament |-

Player stats

Illinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"PlayerIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Games playedIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Minutes playedIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Field goalsIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Free throwsIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"ReboundsIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"AssistsIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"BlocksIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"StealsIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Points
Eddie Johnson2910092196226770630500
Mark Smith29914150102172981836402
Craig Tucker29615117763958319310
Perry Range298151016511570033267
Derek Harper299341043375156839241
James Griffin29519117763958318227
Derek Holcomb296357031148404214171
Bryan Leonard2520026744128359
Kevin Bontempts197812127171236
Quinn Richardson226297970525
Sherrod Arnold744461050114
Mitch Arnold3271052002

Awards and honors

  • Eddie Johnson
    • Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005)
    • Team Most Valuable Player
  • Derek Harper
    • Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005)

Team players drafted into the NBA

Illinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"PlayerIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"NBA clubIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"RoundIllinois Fighting Illinicolor=white}}"Pick
Eddie JohnsonKansas City Kings229
Derek HolcombPortland Trail Blazers350
Mark SmithMilwaukee Bucks367

Rankings

Main article: 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

References

References

  1. [http://www.fightingillini.com/sports/m-baskbl/records/year-1980.html University of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1980-81] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-02-27 , FightingIllini.com)
  2. (March 15, 1981). "Illinois 67, Wyoming 65". [[The New York Times]].
  3. "Season Stats pg. 120".
  4. "Season Stats pg. 120".
  5. "Season Stats pg. 120".
  6. "Season Stats pg. 120".
  7. "Season Stats pg. 120".
  8. "Season Stats pg. 120".
  9. "Season Stats pg. 120".
  10. "List of MVPs".
  11. {{usurped
Info: Wikipedia Source

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