AP No. Not ranked | Coaches No. Not ranked 1970–71 record 11-12 (5–9 Big Ten) Assistant coach Dick Campbell | |
The 1970–71 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
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Regular season
Head coach Harv Schmidt, in only his fourth season at the helm of the Fighting Illini 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 would start their losing streak at Ohio State on February 13, and continue for a month. The agonizing month would end on March 13, 1971, when the Illini would visit Indiana as the season finale. The Fighting Illini would go on to finish the season with an 11-12 record, tied for 5th place in the conference with a 5-9 record.
Fortunately for Schmidt, the Illini would add sophomore forward Nick Weatherspoon. Weatherspoon would finish 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 would finish as the all-time leading scorer for the U of I.
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.
Team
Schedule
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