The 1973–74 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
Regular season
The 1973-74 Fighting Illini men's basketball team had done something that no other Illinois team in history had accomplished, finishing last in the Big Ten, tenth place. In the history of the school, Illinois has only had one worse finish, the 1998-99 season, where they ended the year in eleventh place. However, the 1998-99 team played for the Big Ten tournament championship, losing to Michigan State in the championship game.
The 1973-74 season also witnessed the conclusion of a very difficult tenure at the position of head coach. Harv Schmidt, a former player turned head coach, finished his seventh season at Illinois with an overall record of 89 wins and 77 losses. Unfortunately for Schmidt, several situations contributed to his demise, most of the problems being not of his doing. He was a disciplinarian and demanded attention to detail. He worked his players hard yet he was fair and considerate of their needs. Schmidt had high expectations from his team and set a good example by working as hard as he expected his players to work.
Roster
Schedule
SourceUniversity of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1973-74 , FightingIllini.com
!colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Non-Conference regular season
!colspan=9 style="background:#DF4E38; color:#FFFFFF;"|Big Ten regular season
Player stats Player Games played Field goals Free throws Rebounds Assists PointsRick Schmidt 2319111116534493Jeff Dawson23173724173418Dennis Graff 18125501813162Dave Roberts 2342377522121Tom Carmichael 23482112717117Brad Farnham 153516672286Don Deputy 1735126116182Bill Rucks 20351194881Howard Johnson 143012161872Mike Wente 171912395150Dave Smith 109818326Tim Bushell 119523723C.J. Schroeder 8444312Otho Tucker 1503110Mark Bondeson 312204Mike Dempsey 310512
Awards and honors Rick Schmidt Team Most Valuable Player
Team players drafted into the NBA Player NBA club Round PickJeff DawsonKansas City Kings9168
Rankings
References