The 1995–96 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

Regular season

After advancing to the NCAA Tournament in 1994-95, Illinois extended its run on postseason play with a berth in the 1996 NIT. The Illini started the 1995-96 season 11–1 before losing

Kiwane Garris Kiwane Lemorris Garris (born September 24, 1974) is an American former professional basketball player. He was listed as a , point guard. Garris played college basketball for the Illinois Fighting Illini as a point guard. As a freshman in the 19 ...

to injury. Without its leader, the Illini dropped its first five

Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...

games. Garris returned, but was never 100 percent and junior forward Jerry Hester missed games with a severely sprained ankle. The Illini finished the 1996 season 18–13 overall, 7–11 in the Big Ten. But more importantly the 1996 season marked the end of the most successful era in Illinois basketball when

Lou Henson Louis Ray Henson (January 10, 1932 – July 25, 2020) was an American college basketball coach. He retired as the all-time leader in victories at the University of Illinois with 423 victories and New Mexico State with 289 victories. Overall, Hens ...

announced his retirement before the end of the season. In his 21 years at Illinois, Henson notched 423 victories and guided the Illini to 11 NCAA Tournament appearances. The

Okay, Oklahoma Okay is a town along the east bank of the Verdigris River in Wagoner County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 620 at the 2010 census, a 3.9 percent increase over the figure of 597 recorded in 2000. Etymology and history Okay's histo ...

native coached Illinois to 11, 20 win seasons and finished his career as the third winningest coach in Big Ten history with 214 league victories.

Roster

Schedule

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Player stats

Awards and honors

**Team Most Valuable Player

Team players drafted into the NBA

Rankings

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1995-96 Illinois Fighting Illini Men's Basketball Team

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its west, and the Wabash River, Wabash and Ohio River, Ohio rivers to its ...

Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball seasons

1995 in sports in Illinois 1996 in sports in Illinois