The Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball Team Plays at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois
The Illinois basketball team is currently playing in the Big Ten Conference. Their home games are played at the State Farm Center in Champaign.
Ayo Dosunmu
Ayo Dosunmu is a star for the Illinois Fighting Illini. He is a top recruit in the Big Ten and has made the team one of the best in the country. This season, he has been the leading scorer and the leading rebounder. Currently, he is shooting 48.6 percent from three-point range, averaging 21 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
Before his first year at Illinois, he had not been ranked in the top 40 recruits by any publication. But that all changed. He earned first-team all-state honors from the Chicago Sun-Times and was a consensus first-team selection from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.
After the first year, he averaged 16.6 points and 4.8 rebounds. By the end of the season, he had a 47.5 percent shooting percentage from the field.
Kofi Cockburn
Kofi Cockburn is a former Illinois Fighting Illini basketball player. He is currently playing with Niigata Albirex in the Japanese B.League.
In his three years at Illinois, he averaged 17.2 points and 9.6 rebounds per game. His accomplishments are impressive, and he earned all-conference honors. Among his accolades, he was a member of the Big Ten All-Freshman team and a third-team All-Big Ten selection.
Cockburn also scored a career-high 38 points in a win against the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. As a freshman, he was a Big Ten player of the week and was on the Wooden Award watch list. Several scholarship offers came his way before the end of his senior season.
Bret Bielema
Bret Bielema is the current head coach of Illinois. He was previously the head coach of the Wisconsin Badgers. He helped lead the Badgers to three straight Rose Bowl Games. During his career, he has a 68-24 record.
Bielema’s first two seasons with the Fighting Illini saw the program go 8-4 in the regular season. During that time, the defense was among the best in the nation. They finished ranked in the top 10 in 17 major statistical categories.
In 2018, the Fighting Illini ranked in the AP Top 25 for five consecutive weeks. Jake Moody kicked a 35-yard game-winning field goal with nine seconds left in the fourth quarter.
Jayden Epps
The University of Illinois basketball team is preparing for an East Coast matchup against the Texas Longhorns in the Jimmy V Classic. But before the season can get underway, the Illini will have to prove they can play a real ballgame.
After all, the ACC and Big Ten Conferences will be very different in 2022, thanks to new media rights agreements. So, this year’s squad will have to be more adept at moving the ball. That’s where freshman Matthew Pang, the Big Ten’s top scorer, comes in. He’s a big guy, weighing in at 230 pounds, and he’s also a shooter.
Epps has an excellent IQ for basketball. He’s also a good athlete, averaging 10.8 points, 2.4 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. His assist-to-turnover ratio is also impressive, ranking in the top 80 in the country.
Impact Hawkins and Impact Mayer
The Illinois basketball team has two players who should be among the best in the Big Ten this season. One is freshman RJ Melendez, who could be a top-15 pick in this year’s draft, and the other is Coleman Hawkins. Both players have impressive skills and a potential double-digit scoring threat.
Hawkins has a knack for running the floor, handling, passing, and shooting. He showed this in the NCAA Tournament against Chattanooga, when he had 10 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. It was his most significant game in his sophomore campaign.
He is also a high-impact rim protector. In a recent game against Iowa, he held Ron Harper Jr. to five points on 1-for-9 shooting while blocking Malachi Smith in the final seconds.
State Farm Center
The University of Illinois State Farm Center is one of the country’s top sports and entertainment venues. It’s located in Champaign, Illinois, and serves as home to the University of Illinois Fighting Illini basketball team. Along with hosting the basketball team, the arena also hosts several other events.
The State Farm Center is a dome-shaped indoor arena. Since its opening in 1963, it has hosted numerous University and other events. When it opened, it had a seating capacity of 15,544.
After the 2013-14 season, the university’s athletics department began renovations to the venue. They received contributions from corporate sponsors and alums to fund the upgrades.
The arena’s seating bowl was remodeled to make fans closer to the action. In addition, new courtside seats and suites were added. New video boards and an audio system were also installed.