1991–92 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
| 1991–92 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| 1991–92 record | 13–15 (7–11 Big Ten) |
| Head coach | Lou Henson |
| Assistant coach | Dick Nagy |
| Assistant coach | Jimmy Collins |
| Assistant coach | Mark Coomes |
| MVP | Deon Thomas |
| Captain |
Tom Michael Deon Thomas |
| Home arena | Assembly Hall |
| 1991–92 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | PCT | W | L | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #3 Ohio State | 15 | – | 3 | .833 | 26 | – | 6 | .813 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #5 Indiana | 14 | – | 4 | .778 | 27 | – | 7 | .794 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #15 Michigan | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 24 | – | 9 | .727 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| #14 Michigan State | 11 | – | 7 | .611 | 22 | – | 8 | .733 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 10 | – | 8 | .556 | 19 | – | 11 | .633 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 18 | – | 15 | .545 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 8 | – | 10 | .444 | 16 | – | 16 | .500 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 7 | – | 11 | .389 | 13 | – | 15 | .464 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 4 | – | 14 | .222 | 13 | – | 18 | .419 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 16 | .111 | 9 | – | 19 | .321 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rankings from AP Poll | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The 1991–92 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
Regular season
Illinois’ consecutive 20-win season streak was snapped in 1992 when the Illini posted its first losing record in 14 years, going 13-15. Despite their losing record, the Illini outscored their opponents by over 100 points during the season (1,954 - 1,843). To emphasize how close the Illini were to a successful season, of the eleven Big Ten conference games that they lost, eight were by nine points or less, of which four games were lost by three points or fewer. Based on the allegations of recruiting violations from Iowa assistant coach Bruce Pearl, the most satisfying win during the conference season took place on February 23, 1992 when the Illini would defeat the Hawkeyes in an overtime thriller at Assembly Hall.
Team
| No. | Player | Hometown | High School | Class | Position |
| 3 | Tim Geers | Chicago, Illinois | De La Salle High School | Jr. | Forward |
| 4 | Brooks Taylor | Chicago, Illinois | De La Salle High School | Jr. | Guard |
| 10 | Will Tuttle | Mokena, Illinois | Lincoln-Way Central High School | Fr. | Guard |
| 11 | Rennie Clemons | Springfield, Illinois | Calvary Academy | So. | Guard |
| 13 | Doug Clarida | Marion, Illinois | Marion High School | Sr. | Guard |
| 14 | Matt Williams | Libertyville, Illinois | Libertyville High School | Fr. | Guard |
| 21 | Scott Pierce | Euless, Texas | Trinity High School | So. | Forward |
| 23 | Mike Duis | Crescent City, Illinois | Crescent-Iroquois High School | Jr. | Forward |
| 25 | Deon Thomas (co-captain) | Chicago, Illinois | Simeon High School | So. | Forward/Center |
| 30 | Robert Bennett | Chicago, Illinois | Julian High School | Fr. | Forward |
| 32 | Tom Michael (co-captain) | Hoffman, Illinois | Carlyle High School | So. | Forward |
| 33 | Marc Davidson | Minooka, Illinois | Aurora Christian High School | Fr. | Forward |
| 44 | T.J. Wheeler | Christopher, Illinois | Christopher High School | So. | Guard |
| 50 | Matt Schnaderbeck | Des Plaines, Illinois | Maine West High School | Sr. | Forward |
- Head Coach Lou Henson (17th year at Illinois) [1]
Schedule
Source[2]
| Date | Rank# | Opponent# | Result | Record | Site (Attendance) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| 11/25/1991* | #NR | vs. Penn State | L 50-65 | 0-1 | Assembly Hall (12,183) | ||||||
| 11/30/1991* | #NR | vs. Louisiana-Monroe | W 95-79 | 1-1 | Assembly Hall (11,856) | ||||||
| 12/3/1991* | #NR | vs. Tennessee State | W 78-56 | 2-1 | Assembly Hall (11,274) | ||||||
| 12/6/1991* | #NR | vs. Hawaii (Illini Classic) |
W 69-63 | 3-1 | Assembly Hall (11,524) | ||||||
| 12/7/1991* | #NR | vs. Washington (Illini Classic) |
W 76-55 | 4-1 | Assembly Hall (11,939) | ||||||
| 12/10/1991* | #NR | @ Temple | L 56-92 | 4-2 | McGonigle Hall (3,623) | ||||||
| 12/21/1991* | #NR | vs. Maryland Baltimore County | W 84-71 | 5-2 | Assembly Hall (11,576) | ||||||
| 12/23/1991* | #NR | vs. #16 Missouri (Braggin' Rights) |
L 44-61 | 5-3 | St. Louis Arena (18,034) | ||||||
| 12/30/1991* | #NR | vs. Illinois-Chicago | W 84-75 ot | 6-3 | Assembly Hall (11,200) | ||||||
| 1/4/1992* | #NR | vs. #5 Connecticut | L 66-70 | 6-4 | Assembly Hall (12,376) | ||||||
| 1/8/1992 | #NR | vs. Purdue | W 74-72 ot | 7-4 (1-0) | Assembly Hall (12,674) | ||||||
| 1/11/1992 | #NR | @ #9 Michigan State | L 75-77 | 7-5 (1-1) | Breslin Student Events Center (15,138) | ||||||
| 1/15/1992 | #NR | @ Iowa | L 69-74 | 7-6 (1-2) | Carver–Hawkeye Arena (15,500) | ||||||
| 1/18/1992 | #NR | vs. #15 Michigan | L 61-68 | 7-7 (1-3) | Assembly Hall (15,985) | ||||||
| 1/22/1992 | #NR | vs. Wisconsin | W 74-67 | 8-7 (2-3) | Assembly Hall (11,758) | ||||||
| 1/25/1992 | #NR | @ Minnesota | L 53-54 | 8-8 (2-4) | Williams Arena (16,126) | ||||||
| 1/30/1992 | #NR | vs. #10 Ohio State | L 72-74 | 8-9 (2-5) | Assembly Hall (12,558) | ||||||
| 2/1/1992 | #NR | @ Northwestern | L 43-46 | 8-10 (2-6) | Welsh-Ryan Arena (8,117) | ||||||
| 2/4/1992 | #NR | vs. #6 Indiana | L 65-76 | 8-11 (2-7) | Assembly Hall (15,590) | ||||||
| 2/11/1992 | #NR | @ Purdue | W 76-71 ot | 9-11 (3-7) | Mackey Arena (14,123) | ||||||
| 2/15/1992 | #NR | vs. Minnesota | W 74-58 | 10-11 (4-7) | Assembly Hall (14,322) | ||||||
| 2/20/1992 | #NR | @ Wisconsin | L 78-92 | 10-12 (4-8) | Wisconsin Field House (9,403) | ||||||
| 2/23/1992 | #NR | vs. Iowa | W 77-72 ot | 11-12 (5-8) | Assembly Hall (16,281) | ||||||
| 2/26/1992 | #NR | vs. Northwestern | W 92-65 | 12-12 (6-8) | Assembly Hall (12,012) | ||||||
| 3/1/1992 | #NR | @ #2 Indiana | L 70-76 | 12-13 (6-9) | Assembly Hall (14,224) | ||||||
| 3/7/1992 | #NR | vs. #13 Michigan State | W 80-71 | 13-13 (7-9) | Assembly Hall (14,087) | ||||||
| 3/11/1992 | #NR | @ #5 Ohio State | L 70-82 | 13-14 (7-10) | St. John Arena (13,276) | ||||||
| 3/14/1992 | #NR | @ #14 Michigan | W 59-68 | 13-15 (7-11) | Crisler Arena (13,605) | ||||||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. ( ) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time. | |||||||||||
Player stats
| Player | Games Played | Field Goals | Three Pointers | Free Throws | Rebounds | Assists | Blocks | Steals | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deon Thomas[3] | 28 | 199 | 0 | 144 | 193 | 20 | 44 | 25 | 542 |
| Tom Michael[4] | 28 | 116 | 75 | 43 | 130 | 39 | 10 | 8 | 350 |
| Rennie Clemons[5] | 28 | 104 | 11 | 93 | 106 | 137 | 7 | 42 | 312 |
| T.J. Wheeler[6] | 27 | 84 | 29 | 81 | 111 | 72 | 3 | 18 | 278 |
| Scott Pierce[7] | 28 | 55 | 1 | 52 | 97 | 26 | 9 | 9 | 163 |
| Robert Bennett[8] | 28 | 57 | 2 | 17 | 105 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 133 |
| Brooks Taylor[9] | 27 | 34 | 8 | 33 | 121 | 90 | 13 | 31 | 109 |
Awards and honors
- Deon Thomas
- Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005)
- Team Most Valuable Player [10]
Rankings
Main article: 1991–92 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings