The 1986–87 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

Regular season

The 1986–87 season saw the addition of an outstanding group of young players to the roster. Guards Steve Bardo,

Kendall Gill Kendall Cedric Gill (born May 25, 1968) is an American former professional basketball player who now works as a television basketball analyst. Early life Gill was born in Chicago and attended Rich Central High School in Olympia Fields, Illinoi ...

and Larry Smith joined forward Nick Anderson in a highly touted recruiting class. This group produced another 20-win season (23-8) and a trip to the NCAA Tournament, where Illinois was beaten 68-67 by Austin Peay in arguably the school's most shocking upset. This marked the first season in

Big Ten Conference The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference) is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representati ...

basketball history where two teams finished with 30 or more victories. This season also marks the NCAA's first unified 3-point line of 19 feet 9 inches after 5 years of experimentation.

Roster

Source

Schedule

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Rankings

Player stats

Awards and honors

Ken Norman Kenneth Darnel Norman (born September 5, 1964) is an American former professional basketball player. After graduating from Crane High School in Chicago, Kenny was an outstanding forward for the Illinois Fighting Illini who was selected 19th overa ...

** Associated Press 2nd team All-American ** United States Basketball Writers Association 2nd team All-American ** National Association of Basketball Coaches 3rd team All-American **Team Most Valuable Player ** Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005) *

** Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005)

Team players drafted into the NBA

1987 NBA Draft

Rankings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1986-87 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 Illinois ( ) is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolitan areas include, Peoria and Rockf ...

Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball seasons 1986 in sports in Illinois 1987 in sports in Illinois