The greatest programs: No. 14, Illinois
Posted: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 7:37 PM
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Greatest hoops programs
No team on the list of the 25 greatest college basketball programs is underrated. They’ve all been considered an elite team or been consistently good throughout the years.
But some simply get more attention than the others. And some can get outright overlooked.
Which brings us to No. 14 on this list, Illinois.
The Illini are ranked the highest of six teams in this top 25 without an NCAA tournament title (they also have the most Final Four berths among schools without a crown). Also, they stunk last season, which never helps in this age of short-term memory.
Still, this list is recognition of college hoops history that acknowledges success in several areas, not just winning it all. And that sums up the Illini perfectly.
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Illinois has more wins in school history than Arizona, UConn or Cincinnati and has a better overall win percentage than Arkansas, Villanova and every other Big Ten school. Yes, even better than Indiana and Michigan State.
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The Illini’s five Final Fours are one behind the Spartans’ six, but Illinois also scores big thanks to 27 NCAA tourney appearances, 17 Big Ten conference titles and a host of NBA players produced (slightly fewer than Duke or St. John’s).
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Illinois players have been named consensus All-Americans six times and the Illini’s 17 weeks atop the rankings are more than Georgetown or Arkansas.
That kind of résumé is more than enough to land in the top 15. And at some point, it seems likely that Illinois will break through for that long-awaited title.
After all, they’ve been on the cusp several times.
The first frustration – though it wasn’t seen that way at the time – was during the 1942-43 season. At 17-1 and 12-0 in the Big Ten, Illinois would’ve been a lock for an NCAA berth and one of the favorites to win.
Except for one thing. The team’s “Whiz Kids” elected to enlist in World War II rather than play hoops. Would Illinois have won? Perhaps. National champ Wyoming was 31-2 that season, but Illini fans have been wondering about the possibilities ever since.
Under Harry Combes, a legendary Illinois high school coach, the Illini claimed third place in the NCAA tournament in four seasons – twice losing to eventual national champ Kentucky.
They won 316 games in Combes’ 20 seasons, but could never break through.
When the Lou Henson era began in the mid-70s, the Illini always had talented teams, but seemed stuck behind Indiana in the Big Ten (or Purdue, or Michigan State, or Michigan; the Big Ten always featured a multitude of title contenders).
When Henson’s famed ‘Flyin’ Illini’ ” squad ran its way to a 31-4 record and a spot in the 1989 Final Four, that seemed like the Illini’s year. With future NBA players on the roster like Kendall Gill, Nick Anderson, Marcus Liberty and Kenny Battle, Illinois was a blast to watch and a nightmare for opponents.
Yet, it couldn’t get past eventual national champ Michigan in the Final Four (the Wolverines also were loaded with NBA talent in Glen Rice, Loy Vaught, Terry Mills and Sean Higgins).
Henson never reached another Final Four, though he did win enough games to have the street outside Assembly Hall named after him and make a strong case as a Hall of Fame coach.
After solid seasons under Lon Kruger and Bill Self, Illinois again reached the cusp in 2004-05 with its marvelous 37-2 runner-up squad. BillBruce Weber was named coach of the year for taking a team few expected to be this good and turning them into one of the best single-season teams we’ve seen recently.
Behind its three-guard attack of Dee Brown, Luther Head and future NBA star Deron Williams, Weber’s team tied an NCAA mark for wins in a season before losing the title game to a UNC team loaded with NBA talent. Who knew ’89 would repeat itself?
Both teams will be entrenched in Illini fans’ mind for some time. During Illinois’ run to the ’05 title game, people wanted to compare the ’89 team vs. ’05. The toughest part of the comparison? Both talented groups fell short of their goal.
But falling short shouldn’t cause Illinois to be overlooked on a list like this. If anything, the Illini’s stature will only rise when that elusive title does come.
Next Tuesday: No. 13 on the list of greatest programs.
No. 15: Michigan State.
No. 16: Georgetown.
No. 17: Arkansas.
No. 18: Ohio State.
No. 19: St. John's.
No. 20: UNLV.
No. 21: Texas.
No. 22: Notre Dame.
No. 23: Temple.
No. 24: Oklahoma.
No. 25: N.C. State.
