Regular season
Under the leadership of Harry Combes and coming off consecutive third-place finishes in the NCAA Tournament, the Fighting Illini men's basketball program had become one of the most powerful in the nation. The 1952-53 team returned one of the most dominant players in the NCAA, Johnny Kerr. It also returned United Press honorable mention all-American guards Irv Bemoras and Jim Bredar. Unfortunately the Illini would lose 4 conference games during the Big Ten season which would give them a second-place finish. Three of the four losses came at the hands of ranked opponents. The starting lineup included ''captain'' Jim Bredar and Irving Bemoras at guard, Clive Follmer and Max Hooper at the forward slot with Robert Peterson and, future hall of famer Johnny "Red" Kerr at the center position. The team also included former University of Minnesota head coach Jim Dutcher.Roster
Schedule
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Player stats
Awards and honors
* Irv Bemoras ** Converse 2nd team All-American ** Look Magazine 2nd team All-American ** Helms 2nd team All-American ** Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American **Team Most Valuable Player * Jim Bredar ** International News Service 2nd team All-American ** Converse 2nd team All-American ** Look Magazine 2nd team All-American ** Helms 2nd team All-American ** Associated Press 3rd team All-American * Johnny Kerr ** Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American ** International News Service Honorable Mention All-American ** Converse Honorable Mention All-American * Clive Follmer ** Big Ten Medal of HonorTeam players drafted into the NBA
Rankings
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:1952-53 Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Team Illinois Fighting Illini Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball seasons 1952 in sports in Illinois 1953 in sports in Illinois