The 1970–71 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

Regular season

Head coach

Harv Schmidt Harvard Schmidt (September 25, 1935 – April 7, 2020) was an American professional basketball player and coach. A , small forward from Kankakee, Illinois. Schmidt attended the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign, where he played from ...

, in only his fourth season at the helm of the

Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

men's basketball team, saw the longest losing streak of his career, 8 games. After starting the year by winning 9 of their first 12 games and 10 of their first 14, the Illini started their losing streak at

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

on February 13, and continue for a month. The agonizing month ended March 13, 1971, when the Illini visited

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

in the season finale. The Fighting Illini finished the season with an 11-12 record, tied for 5th place in the conference with a 5-9 record. The Illini added sophomore forward

Nick Weatherspoon Nick Levoter Weatherspoon (July 20, 1950 – October 17, 2008) was an American professional basketball player. Career Weatherspoon, nicknamed "Spoon", scored 1,431 points at Canton McKinley High School, holding the Bulldog scoring record for 37 y ...

for the season. Weatherspoon finished his inaugural season by scoring 381 points, averaging 16.5 points per game, and collected 246 rebounds. By the completion of his time at Illinois, Weatherspoon was their all-time leading scorer. The 1970-71 team's starting lineup included Weatherspoon and Fred Miller at the forward spots, Jim Krelle and Rick Howat as guards and Greg Jackson at center.

Roster

Source

Schedule

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Player stats

Awards and honors

* Rick Howat **Team Most Valuable Player

Team players drafted into the NBA

1971 NBA Draft
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Rankings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1970-71 Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Team

Illinois Fighting Illini The Illinois Fighting Illini () are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. The university offers 10 men's and 11 women's varsity sports. The University operates a number of athletic faci ...

Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball seasons 1970 in sports in Illinois 1971 in sports in Illinois