1980–81 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

In 1981, Illinois made strides in its return to the national spotlight with a 21-8 record, a third-place Big Ten finish and an invitation to the NCAA Tournament. The team received a first-round bye in the NCAA tournament and beat Wyoming, 67-65, in Los Angeles to advance to the regionals in Salt Lake City, where Illinois lost to Kansas State, 57-52. During this season, the Fighting Illini led the Big Ten in scoring for the second consecutive season and were again led by Eddie Johnson and Mark Smith. Guards Craig Tucker and Derek Harper arrived to add backcourt punch, and Harper began his Illini career being named First-Team Freshman All-America by ESPN and ABC.

This season marked a change in location and name for the annual game with Missouri. The name was altered from the "Show-Me Classic" to the "Braggin' Rights" and took on a permanent location, St. Louis, with the St. Louis Arena as its original home. Prior to 1980, the location of the game alternated from Assembly Hall and the Hearnes Center. Since 1994, the game is played at the Scottrade Center.

Roster

1980–81 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G 10 Craig Tucker 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Flint Northern High School Flint, Michigan G 12 Derek Harper 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr North Shore High School West Palm Beach, Florida C 13 James Griffin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jr Dunbar High School Grandview, Texas G 14 Sherrod Arnold 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 150 lb (68 kg) So Wendell Phillips High School Chicago, Illinois G/F 15 Mitch Arnold 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Fr Effingham High School Effingham, Illinois G 20 Kevin Bontemps 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Morton High School Morton, Illinois G 21 Quinn Richardson 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) So Eisenhower High School Robbins, Illinois G 22 Perry Range 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr South Beloit High School South Beloit, Illinois F 33 Eddie Johnson (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Westinghouse High School Chicago, Illinois F 42 Mark Smith (C) 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Richwoods High School Peoria, Illinois F 43 Bryan Leonard  6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS So Belleville High School-East Belleville, Illinois C 44 Derek Holcomb (C) 6 ft 11 in (2.11 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Sr Richwoods High School Peoria, Illinois	Head coach Lou Henson (New Mexico State University) (6th year) Assistant coach(es) Tony Yates (University of Cincinnati) (7th year) Dick Nagy (Hardin-Simmons University) (2nd year) Bob Hull (1st year) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt All-Time Illini Roster

Source^[1][2]

Source^[3]

• Eddie Johnson
  • Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005)
  • Team Most Valuable Player ^[11]
• Derek Harper
  • Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005)

^[12]