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1949–50 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

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Conference
  
Head coach
  
1949–50 record
  
14–8 (7-5 Big Ten)

Assistant coach
  
Captain
  

The 1949–50 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team represented the University of Illinois.

Contents

Regular season

The 1949-50 season looked to have solid promise based on the fact that the team had 3 returning starters from a "Final Four" team a year earlier. Unfortunately for the Fighting Illini men's basketball team, the conference season proved to be more difficult than expected. With 5 of the team's 8 losses coming at the hands of conference competition, the Illini, not only placed in a third place tie in the Big Ten, they also missed out on the opportunity to play in a post-season tournament. Head coach Harry Combes had guided the team a year earlier to a Big Ten championship, a third place finish in the 1949 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament and a final AP ranking of No. 4 in the nation. The 1949-50 team compiled an overall record of 14 wins and 8 losses with a conference record of 7 wins and 5 losses. The starting lineup included captain William Erickson, Roy Gatewood and Donald Sunderlage as forwards, Rodney Fletcher, and Burdette Thurlby at guard and Walter Osterkorn and Mack Follmer rotating at the center position.

Roster

  • Head Coach: Harry Combes (3rd year at Illinois)
  • Schedule

    Source

    Awards and honors

  • Bill Erickson
  • Converse Honorable Mention All-American (1950)
  • Wally Osterkorn
  • Team Most Valuable Player
  • References

    1949–50 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team Wikipedia


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