2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

The 2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. Led by fourth-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 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.

2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
Big Ten tournament champions
NCAA tournament, Second Round
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 8
AP	No. 2
Record	24–7 (16–4 Big Ten)
Head coach	Brad Underwood (4th season)
Assistant coaches	Orlando Antigua (4th season) Stephen Gentry (2nd season) Ron Coleman (4th season) Geoff Alexander (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Spread
Base defense	On-the-Line-Up-the-Line, Man
Captain	Ayo Dosunmu Da’Monte Williams
Home arena	State Farm Center
Seasons ← 2019–20 2021–22 →

2020–21 Big Ten Conference
men's basketball standings

	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
No. 4 Michigan	14	–	3		.824			23	–	5		.821
No. 2 Illinois †	16	–	4		.800			24	–	7		.774
No. 8 Iowa	14	–	6		.700			22	–	9		.710
No. 20 Purdue	13	–	6		.684			18	–	10		.643
No. 7 Ohio State	12	–	8		.600			21	–	10		.677
Wisconsin	10	–	10		.500			18	–	13		.581
Rutgers	10	–	10		.500			16	–	12		.571
Maryland	9	–	11		.450			17	–	14		.548
Michigan State	9	–	11		.450			15	–	13		.536
Indiana	7	–	12		.368			12	–	15		.444
Penn State	7	–	12		.368			11	–	14		.440
Northwestern	6	–	13		.316			9	–	15		.375
Minnesota	6	–	14		.300			14	–	15		.483
Nebraska	3	–	16		.158			7	–	20		.259
† Conference tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Illini finished the 2019–20 season 21–10, 13–7 in Big Ten play to finish in fourth place. Their season ended when the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic.^[1]

Offseason

On April 7, 2020, freshman big man Kofi Cockburn declared for the NBA draft, but did not hire an agent, leaving open the chance that he would return to school for his sophomore season.^[2] On April 16, sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu also declared for the draft.^[3] Dosunmu did not hire an agent, but stated that he intended to stay in the draft.^[4] On July 31, Cockburn and Dosunmu announced they had withdrawn from the NBA draft and would return to Illinois for the season.^[5]

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Notes
Andrés Feliz	10	G	6'2"	195	Senior	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic	Graduated
Alan Griffin	0	F	6'5"	195	Sophomore	White Plains, NY	Transferred to Syracuse^[6]
Tevian Jones	5	F	6'7"	205	Sophomore	Culver City, CA	Transferred to Southern Utah^[7]
Kipper Nichols	2	F	6'6"	220	RS Senior	Cleveland, Ohio	Graduated
Samson Oladimeji	35	C	6'4"	210	Senior	Rolling Meadows, Illinois	Graduated

2020 Recruiting Class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	Commit date
André Curbelo PG	San Juan, Puerto Rico	Long Island Lutheran (NY)	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	Nov 3, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 83
Coleman Hawkins PF	Antelope, California	Prolific Prep	6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	Nov 16, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 80
Adam Miller SG	Chicago, Illinois	Morgan Park	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	Nov 21, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN:    ESPN grade: 89
Brandon Lieb C	Deerfield, Illinois	Deerfield	7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Jun 25, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247Sports:     ESPN: N/A   ESPN grade: N/A
Overall recruiting rankings:
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: "2020 Illinois Commits". Rivals.com. "2020 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2020–21 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 1 Trent Frazier 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Wellington HS Wellington, FL F 2 Connor Serven (W) 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr St. Rita HS Bushnell, IL G/F 3 Jacob Grandison 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS Jr Holy Cross Oakland, CA F 4 Zach Griffith (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Sr Fisher HS Fisher, IL G 5 André Curbelo 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Long Island Lutheran Vega Baja, P.R. G 10 Edgar Padilla Jr. (W) 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 165 lb (75 kg) Fr Colegio San Ignacio de Loyola Carolina, P.R. G 11 Ayo Dosunmu (C) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Morgan Park HS Chicago, IL C 12 Brandon Lieb 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Deerfield HS Deerfield, IL F 13 Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) RS Fr KA Pegasus Lommel, Belgium F 15 Giorgi Bezhanishvili 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Jr The Patrick School Rustavi, Georgia G 20 Da'Monte Williams (C) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Manual Peoria, IL C 21 Kofi Cockburn 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m) 297 lb (135 kg) So Oak Hill Academy Kingston, Jamaica G 22 Austin Hutcherson   6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) RS Jr Wesleyan New York, NY G 32 Tyler Underwood (W) 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Oklahoma State Nacogdoches, TX F 33 Coleman Hawkins 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Fr Prolific Prep Sacramento, CA C 34 Jermaine Hamlin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 235 lb (107 kg) So Lincoln Community HS Lincoln, IL G 44 Adam Miller 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Morgan Park HS Peoria, IL	Head coach Brad Underwood (Kansas State) Assistant coach(es) Orlando Antigua (Pittsburgh) Ron Coleman (Lamar) Stephen Gentry (Gonzaga) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on   Injured   Current redshirt Roster Last update: October 10, 2020

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank^#	Opponent^#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Non-Conference regular season
November 25, 2020* 1:00 pm, BTN	No. 8	North Carolina A&T	W 122–60	1–0	28 – Tied	10 – Tied	7 – Williams	State Farm Center (132) Champaign, IL
November 26, 2020* 11:00 am, BTN	No. 8	Chicago State	W 97–38	2–0	22 – Dosunmu	11 – Cockburn	7 – Dosunmu	State Farm Center (143) Champaign, IL
November 27, 2020* 12:00 pm, BTN	No. 8	Ohio	W 77–75	3–0	27 – Dosunmu	14 – Cockburn	8 – Dosunmu	State Farm Center (155) Champaign, IL
December 2, 2020* 9:00 pm, ESPN	No. 5	vs. No. 2 Baylor Jimmy V Classic	L 69–82	3–1	18 – Dosunmu	7 – Williams	5 – Dosunmu	Bankers Life Fieldhouse (0) Indianapolis, IN
December 5, 2020* 8:00 pm, BTN	No. 5	UT-Martin	Canceled due to COVID-19 within UT-Martin program					State Farm Center  Champaign, IL
December 8, 2020* 8:30 pm, ESPN	No. 6	at No. 10 Duke ACC–Big Ten Challenge	W 83–68	4–1	18 – Dosunmu	12 – Dosunmu	5 – Dosunmu	Cameron Indoor Stadium (0) Durham, NC
December 12, 2020* 7:00 pm, ESPNU	No. 6	at Missouri Braggin' Rights	L 78–81	4–2	36 – Dosunmu	6 – Cockburn	4 – Curbelo	Mizzou Arena (578) Columbia, MO
Big Ten regular season
December 15, 2020 6:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	Minnesota	W 92–65	5–2 (1–0)	33 – Cockburn	13 – Cockburn	9 – Curbelo	State Farm Center (173) Champaign, IL
December 20, 2020 12:00 pm, ESPN2	No. 13	at No. 19 Rutgers	L 88–91	5–3 (1–1)	22 – Dosunmu	12 – Cockburn	6 – Dosunmu	Rutgers Athletic Center (0) Piscataway, NJ
December 23, 2020 5:30 pm, BTN	No. 18	at Penn State	W 98–81	6–3 (2–1)	30 – Dosunmu	7 – Grandison	8 – Curbelo	Bryce Jordan Center (158) University Park, PA
December 26, 2020 3:00 pm, FS1	No. 18	Indiana Rivalry	W 69–60	7–3 (3–1)	30 – Dosunmu	15 – Cockburn	5 – Dosunmu	State Farm Center (178) Champaign, IL
January 2, 2021 5:00 pm, BTN	No. 15	Purdue	W 66–58	8–3 (4–1)	14 – Cockburn	10 – Tied	6 – Curbelo	State Farm Center (167) Champaign, IL
January 7, 2021 8:00 pm, BTN	No. 12	at Northwestern Rivalry	W 81–56	9–3 (5–1)	18 – Cockburn	12 – Cockburn	7 – Curbelo	Welsh–Ryan Arena (0) Evanston, IL
January 10, 2021 7:00 pm, BTN	No. 12	Maryland	L 63–66	9–4 (5–2)	23 – Dosunmu	10 – Cockburn	5 – Tied	State Farm Center (169) Champaign, IL
January 16, 2021 11:00 am, FOX	No. 14	No. 21 Ohio State	L 81–87	9–5 (5–3)	22 – Dosunmu	11 – Cockburn	5 – Dosunmu	State Farm Center (175) Champaign, IL
January 19, 2021 7:30 pm, BTN	No. 22	Penn State	W 79–65	10–5 (6–3)	21 – Cockburn	12 – Cockburn	5 – Dosunmu	State Farm Center (148) Champaign, IL
January 29, 2021 8:00 pm, FS1	No. 19	No. 7 Iowa Rivalry	W 80–75	11–5 (7–3)	25 – Dosunmu	10 – Tied	8 – Curbelo	State Farm Center (190) Champaign, IL
February 2, 2021 8:00 pm, ESPN	No. 12	at Indiana Rivalry	W 75–71 ^OT	12–5 (8–3)	19 – Frazier	10 – Cockburn	4 – Curbelo	Assembly Hall (0) Bloomington, IN
February 6, 2021 1:30 pm, FOX	No. 12	No. 19 Wisconsin	W 75–60	13–5 (9–3)	23 – Cockburn	14 – Cockburn	12 – Dosunmu	State Farm Center (180) Champaign, IL
February 12, 2021 8:00 pm, BTN	No. 6	at Nebraska	W 77–72 ^OT	14–5 (10–3)	31 – Dosunmu	13 – Cockburn	6 – Dosunmu	Pinnacle Bank Arena (0) Lincoln, NE
February 16, 2021 8:00 pm, BTN	No. 5	Northwestern Rivalry	W 73–66	15–5 (11–3)	17 – Cockburn	10 – Cockburn	5 – Tied	State Farm Center (162) Champaign, IL
February 20, 2021 2:30 pm, FOX	No. 5	at Minnesota	W 94–63	16–5 (12–3)	22 – Cockburn	10 – Dosunmu	10 – Dosunmu	Williams Arena (56) Minneapolis, MN
February 23, 2021 6:00 pm, FS1	No. 5	at Michigan State	L 72–81	16–6 (12–4)	22 – Frazier	9 – Dosunmu	5 – Dosunmu	Breslin Center (0) East Lansing, MI
February 25, 2021 6:00 pm, BTN	No. 5	Nebraska Senior Night	W 86–70	17–6 (13–4)	24 – Cockburn	12 – Curbelo	8 – Curbelo	State Farm Center (192) Champaign,IL
February 27, 2021 1:00 pm, ESPN	No. 5	at No. 23 Wisconsin	W 74–69	18–6 (14–4)	19 – Cockburn	8 – Grandison	4 – Tied	Kohl Center (0) Madison, WI
March 2, 2021 6:00 pm, ESPN	No. 4	at No. 2 Michigan	W 76–53	19–6 (15–4)	22 – Frazier	7 – Cockburn	5 – Grandison	Crisler Center (94) Ann Arbor, MI
March 6, 2021 3:00 pm, ESPN	No. 4	at No. 7 Ohio State	W 73–68	20–6 (16–4)	19 – Tie	6 – Tie	6 – Curbelo	Value City Arena  Columbus, OH
Big Ten tournament
March 12, 2021 5:30 pm, BTN	(2) No. 3	vs. (7) Rutgers Quarterfinals	W 90–68	21–6	23 – Dosunmu	12 – Cockburn	6 – Dosunmu	Lucas Oil Stadium (7,735) Indianapolis, IN
March 13, 2021 2:30 pm, CBS	(2) No. 3	vs. (3) No. 5 Iowa Semifinals	W 82–71	22–6	26 – Cockburn	9 – Williams	9 – Dosunmu	Lucas Oil Stadium (8,000) Indianapolis, IN
March 14, 2021 2:30 pm, CBS	(2) No. 3	vs. (5) No. 9 Ohio State Championship	W 91–88 ^OT	23–6	16 – Tied	9 – Tied	5 – Curbelo	Lucas Oil Stadium (8,000) Indianapolis, IN
NCAA tournament
March 19, 2021 12:15 pm, TBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (16 MW) Drexel First Round	W 78–49	24–6	18 – Cockburn	10 – Dosunmu	6 – Dosunmu	Indiana Farmers Coliseum (968) Indianapolis, IN
March 21, 2021 11:10 am, CBS	(1 MW) No. 2	vs. (8 MW) No. 17 Loyola–Chicago Second Round	L 58–71	24–7	21 – Cockburn	9 – Cockburn	7 – Curbelo	Bankers Life Fieldhouse  Indianapolis, IN
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source^[8]

Rankings

See also: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking

	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final
AP	8	5	6	13	18	15	12	14	22	19	12	6	5	5	4	3	2	Not released
Coaches	10	10^	9	13	18	16	12	13	24	22	13	6	5	4	4	3	2	8

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

References

1. "2020 NCAA Tournament canceled due to growing threat of coronavirus pandemic". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
2. Ryan, Shannon. "Kofi Cockburn declares for the NBA draft, and the Illinois freshman will get feedback from teams before making a final decision". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
3. "Illinois' Dosunmu declares for NBA draft". ESPN.com. April 17, 2020. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
4. Ryan, Shannon. "Illini guard Ayo Dosunmu's dad says his son is '98% or 99%' committed to remaining in the NBA draft". chicagotribune.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
5. "Cockburn returning to Illinois for sophomore year". ESPN.com. August 1, 2020. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
6. Cobb, David. "Syracuse lands prized Illinois transfer Alan Griffin, son of Raptors assistant Adrian Griffin". cbssports.com. Retrieved April 5, 2020.
7. [e-mail], JOEY WAGNER. "Illinois sophomore Tevian Jones enters transfer portal". Herald-Review.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
8. "2020-21 Men's Basketball Schedule".