2021–22 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

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2021–22 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
NCAA tournament, Second Round
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 19
APNo. 19
Record23–10 (15–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Chester Frazier (1st season)
  • Tim Anderson (1st season)
  • Geoff Alexander (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread
Base defenseOn-the-Line-Up-the-Line, Man
Home arenaState Farm Center
Seasons
2021–22 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 19 Illinois 15 – 5   .750 23 – 10   .697
No. 14 Wisconsin 15 – 5   .750 25 – 8   .758
No. 10 Purdue 14 – 6   .700 29 – 8   .784
Rutgers 12 – 8   .600 18 – 14   .563
No. 16 Iowa † 12 – 8   .600 26 – 10   .722
Ohio State 12 – 8   .600 20 – 12   .625
Michigan State 11 – 9   .550 23 – 13   .639
Michigan 11 – 9   .550 19 – 15   .559
Indiana 9 – 11   .450 21 – 14   .600
Maryland 7 – 13   .350 15 – 17   .469
Penn State 7 – 13   .350 14 – 17   .452
Northwestern 7 – 13   .350 15 – 16   .484
Nebraska 4 – 16   .200 10 – 22   .313
Minnesota 4 – 16   .200 13 – 17   .433
† Conference tournament winner
Rankings from AP poll


The 2021–22 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fifth-year head coach Brad Underwood, the Illini played their home games at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference. They finished the season 23–10, 15–5 in Big Ten play to finish in a two-way tie for the regular-season championship. As the No. 1 seed in the Big Ten tournament, they were defeated by No. 9 seed Indiana in the Quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament as the No. 4 seed in the South Region, where they defeated Chattanooga in the First Round before losing to Houston in the Second Round.

Previous season

In a season limited due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Illini finished the 2020–21 season 24–7, 16–4 in Big Ten play to finish in second place. They defeated Rutgers, Iowa, and Ohio State to win the Big Ten tournament and receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. As the No. 1 seed in the Midwest region, they defeated Drexel in the First Round before being upset by No. 8-seeded Loyola–Chicago.

Offseason

Illini big man Kofi Cockburn declared for the 2021 NBA draft, before ultimately withdrawing and entering the transfer portal. After considering offers from Kentucky and Florida State, he opted to return to Illinois.[1]

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Zach Griffith 4 F 6'6" 220 Senior Fisher, IL Graduated
Edgar Padilla Jr. 10 G 6'1" 165 Freshman Carolina, PR Transferred to Pensacola State
Ayo Dosunmu 11 G 6'5" 200 Junior Chicago, IL Declared for the 2021 NBA draft; selected 38th overall pick by the Chicago Bulls[2]
Giorgi Bezhanishvili 15 F 6'9" 245 Junior Rustavi, Georgia Undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft[3]
Tyler Underwood 32 G 6'2" 180 Graduate Student Champaign, IL Graduated
Jermaine Hamlin 34 C 6'10" 235 Sophomore Lincoln, IL Transferred to Eastern Illinois[4]
Adam Miller 44 G 6'3" 180 Freshman Peoria, IL Transferred to LSU[5]

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous School
Omar Payne 4 F 6'10" 240 Junior Kissimmee, FL Florida
Alfonso Plummer 11 G 6'1" 180 Graduate Student Fajardo, PR Utah

2021 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Luke Goode
SG 		Fort Wayne, Indiana Homestead 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Apr 17, 2020 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 83
RJ Melendez
SF 		Arecibo, Puerto Rico Central Pointe Christian Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Feb 15, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:3/5 stars   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 84
Brandin Podziemski
SG 		Muskego, Wisconsin St. John's Northwestern Military Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Apr 13, 2021 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals:4/5 stars   247Sports:4/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 81
Overall recruiting rankings:   Rivals: 18  247Sports: 24
  • 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:

  • "2021 Illinois Commits". Rivals.com.
  • "ESPN- Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Recruiting". ESPN.com.
  • "2021 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.
  • "2021–22 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team". 247sports.com.

Roster

2021–22 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 0 Brandin Podziemski 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr St John's Northwestern Muskego, Wisconsin
G 1 Trent Frazier 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) GS Wellington Wellington, Florida
F 2 Connor Serven (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So St. Rita Bushnell, Illinois
G/F 3 Jacob Grandison Injured 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) GS Phillips Exeter Academy (NH) / Holy Cross Oakland, California
F 4 Omar Payne 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Jr Montverde / Florida Kissimmee, Florida
G 5 André Curbelo 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Long Island Lutheran (NY) Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
G 10 Luke Goode 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Homestead Fort Wayne, Indiana
G 11 Alfonso Plummer 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Coleigo La Luz / Utah Fajardo, Puerto Rico
C 12 Brandon Lieb 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So Deerfield Deerfield, Illinois
F 13 Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS So KA Pegasus Lommel, Belgium
G 15 RJ Meléndez 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Central Pointe Christian Academy Arecibo, Puerto Rico
G 20 Da'Monte Williams 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) GS Manual Peoria, Illinois
C 21 Kofi Cockburn 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 285 lb (129 kg) Jr Oak Hill Academy (VA) Kingston, Jamaica
G 22 Austin Hutcherson Injured 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 190 lb (86 kg) GS Hun School of Princeton (NJ) / Wesleyan New York City, New York
F 33 Coleman Hawkins 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 215 lb (98 kg) So Prolific Prep Sacramento, California
F Dain Dainja Current redshirt 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Fr Baylor Brooklyn Park, Minnesota
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: August 30, 2021

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 23, 2021*
8:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 11 St. Francis (IL) W 101–34  –
  14 – Tied   7 – Hutcherson   5 – Curbelo  State Farm Center (12,799)
Champaign, IL
October 29, 2021*
7:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 11 Indiana (PA) W 94–79  –
  21 – Cockburn   9 – Hawkins   12 – Curbelo  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
Regular season
November 9, 2021*
7:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 11 Jackson State W 71–47  1–0
  20 – Grandison   10 – Bosmans-Verdonk   4 – Plummer  State Farm Center (14,032)
Champaign, IL
November 12, 2021*
8:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 11 Arkansas State W 92–53  2–0
  17 – Hawkins   12 – Hawkins   7 – Curbelo  State Farm Center (14,327)
Champaign, IL
November 15, 2021*
6:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 10 at Marquette
Gavitt Tipoff Games 		L 66–67  2–1
  23 – Frazier   11 – Williams   3 – Tied  Fiserv Forum (14,631)
Milwaukee, WI
November 22, 2021*
5:30 p.m., ESPNews 		No. 14 vs. Cincinnati
Hall of Fame Classic semifinals 		L 51–71  2–2
  18 – Cockburn   10 – Williams   5 – Curbelo  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 23, 2021*
6:00 p.m., ESPNews 		No. 14 vs. Kansas State
Hall of Fame Classic Consolation 		W 72–64  3–2
  23 – Cockburn   13 – Cockburn   7 – Curbelo  T-Mobile Center 
Kansas City, MO
November 26, 2021*
7:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 14 Texas–Rio Grande Valley W 94–85  4–2
  38 – Cockburn   10 – Cockburn   8 – Williams  State Farm Center (12,782)
Champaign, IL
November 29, 2021*
8:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Notre Dame
ACC–Big Ten Challenge 		W 82–72  5–2
  28 – Cockburn   8 – Cockburn   6 – Frazier  State Farm Center (14,907)
Champaign, IL
December 3, 2021
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Rutgers W 86–51  6–2
(1–0) 		 24 – Plummer   15 – Cockburn   5 – Frazier  State Farm Center (14,501)
Champaign, IL
December 6, 2021
6:00 p.m., FS1 		at Iowa
Rivalry 		W 87–83  7–2
(2–0) 		 21 – Tied   18 – Cockburn   6 – Williams  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (12,072)
Iowa City, IA
December 11, 2021*
4:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 11 Arizona L 79–83  7–3
  27 – Frazier   13 – Cockburn   3 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
December 18, 2021*
12:00 p.m., BTN 		Saint Francis (PA) W 106–48  8–3
  21 – Cockburn   11 – Cockburn   5 – Frazier  State Farm Center (12,302)
Champaign, IL
December 22, 2021*
8:00 p.m., BTN 		vs. Missouri
Braggin' Rights 		W 88–63  9–3
  25 – Cockburn   14 – Cockburn   6 – Grandison  Enterprise Center (14,953)
St. Louis, MO
December 29, 2021*
8:00 p.m., BTN 		Florida A&M Canceled due to COVID-19 State Farm Center 
Champaign, IL
January 4, 2022
6:00 p.m., FS1 		at Minnesota W 76–53  10–3
(3–0) 		 29 – Cockburn   10 – Cockburn   4 – Tied  Williams Arena (10,112)
Minneapolis, MN
January 6, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN2 		Maryland W 76–64  11–3
(4–0) 		 23 – Cockburn   18 – Cockburn   3 – Plummer  State Farm Center (12,981)
Champaign, IL
January 11, 2022
7:30 p.m., BTN 		No. 25 at Nebraska W 81–71  12–3
(5–0) 		 29 – Frazier   13 – Cockburn   5 – Frazier  Pinnacle Bank Arena (14,069)
Lincoln, NE
January 14, 2022
8:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 25 Michigan W 68–53  13–3
(6–0) 		 21 – Cockburn   10 – Cockburn   7 – Frazier  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
January 17, 2022
11:00 a.m., FOX 		No. 17 No. 4 Purdue L 88–96 2OT 13–4
(6–1) 		 24 – Plummer   6 – Tied   6 – Frazier  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
January 21, 2022
6:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 17 at Maryland L 65–81  13–5
(6–2) 		 18 – Plummer   8 – Williams   6 – Williams  Xfinity Center (12,331)
College Park, MD
January 25, 2022
6:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 24 No. 10 Michigan State W 56–55  14–5
(7–2) 		 16 – Frazier   4 – Tied   5 – Frazier  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
January 29, 2022
3:30 p.m., BTN 		No. 24 at Northwestern
Rivalry 		W 59–56  15–5
(8–2) 		 22 – Cockburn   9 – Tied   4 – Grandison  Welsh–Ryan Arena (7,039)
Evanston, IL
February 2, 2022
8:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 18 No. 11 Wisconsin W 80–67  16–5
(9–2) 		 37 – Cockburn   12 – Cockburn   7 – Frazier  State Farm Center (14,860)
Champaign, IL
February 5, 2022
11:00 a.m., ESPN 		No. 18 at Indiana
Rivalry 		W 74–57  17–5
(10–2) 		 23 – Frazier   8 – Cockburn   4 – Tied  Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall (17,222)
Bloomington, IN
February 8, 2022
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 13 at No. 3 Purdue L 68–84  17–6
(10–3) 		 18 – Cockburn   7 – Cockburn   5 – Frazier  Mackey Arena (14,804)
West Lafayette, IN
February 13, 2022
1:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 13 Northwestern
Rivalry 		W 73–66  18–6
(11–3) 		 19 – Cockburn   15 – Cockburn   6 – Frazier  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
February 16, 2022
6:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 12 at Rutgers L 59–70  18–7
(11–4) 		 20 – Cockburn   10 – Cockburn   5 – Curbelo  Jersey Mike's Arena (8,236)
Piscataway, NJ
February 19, 2022
11:00 a.m., ESPN 		No. 12 at No. 19 Michigan State W 79–74  19–7
(12–4) 		 27 – Cockburn   9 – Cockburn   5 – Tied  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
February 24, 2022
8:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 15 No. 22 Ohio State L 83–86  19–8
(12–5) 		 26 – Plummer   4 – Hawkins   4 – Frazier  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
February 27, 2022
1:00 p.m., CBS 		No. 15 at Michigan W 93–85  20–8
(13–5) 		 27 – Cockburn   7 – Cockburn   4 – Grandison  Crisler Center (12,707)
Ann Arbor, MI
March 3, 2022
6:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 20 Penn State W 60–55  21–8
(14–5) 		 14 – Williams   6 – Cockburn   4 – Frazier  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
March 6, 2022
6:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 20 No. 24 Iowa
Rivalry 		W 74–72  22–8
(15–5) 		 21 – Cockburn   14 – Cockburn   6 – Curbelo  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
Big Ten tournament
March 11, 2022
11:30 a.m., BTN 		(1) No. 16 vs. (9) Indiana
Quarterfinals 		L 63–65  22–9
  23 – Cockburn   10 – Tied   6 – Frazier  Gainbridge Fieldhouse 
Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
March 18, 2022
5:50 p.m., TNT 		(4 S) No. 19 vs. (13 S) Chattanooga
First Round 		W 54–53  23–9
  17 – Cockburn   13 – Cockburn   4 – Tied  PPG Paints Arena (17,410)
Pittsburgh, PA
March 20, 2022
11:10 a.m., CBS 		(4 S) No. 19 vs. (5 S) No. 15 Houston
Second Round 		L 53–68  23–10
  19 – Cockburn   8 – Cockburn   4 – Frazier  PPG Paints Arena (18,506)
Pittsburgh, PA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source[6]

Rankings

See also: 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below
Week
PollPre123456789101112131415161718Final
AP111014RVRVRVRVRVRV25172418131215201619Not released
Coaches1010^15RVRVRVRVRVRV24172118131214171516т19

*AP does not release post-NCAA Tournament rankings
^Coaches did not release a Week 1 poll.

References

  1. ^ Borzello, Jeff (July 16, 2021). "Kofi Cockburn staying with Illinois after entering transfer portal". ESPN. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  2. ^ Cobb, David (April 6, 2021). "2021 NBA Draft: Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu declares after leading program to No. 1 seed in NCAA Tournament". CBS Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  3. ^ Ryan, Shannon (April 8, 2021). "Illinois forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili says he'll enter the NBA draft: 'I'm excited to see what the future holds'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  4. ^ Werner, Jeremy (May 14, 2021). "Former Illini center Jermaine Hamlin transfers to Eastern Illinois". 247 Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  5. ^ Huett, Wes (May 1, 2021). "Illinois basketball transfer Adam Miller picks LSU". Peoria Journal Star. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
  6. ^ "2021–22 Men's Basketball Schedule". fightingillini.com. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
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