1942–43 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
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1942–43 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
| 1942–43 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball | |||
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| Big Ten champions | |||
| Conference | Big Ten Conference | ||
| 1942–43 record | 17–1 (12–0 Big Ten) | ||
| Head coach | Douglas R. Mills | ||
| Home arena | Huff Hall | ||
Seasons
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The 1942–43 Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team represented the University of Illiniois. The Illinois Fighting Illini finished the season with a record of 17 wins and 1 loss. The season was cut short as three of the five starters headed off to active duty in the armed forces. Illinois won the Big Ten Conference Title and had finished the regular season as the nations' top ranked team. Paced by a group of players known as the Whiz Kids, the team consisted of 20 year-old All-America forward Andy Phillip and teenagers Ken Menke, Gene Vance, Jack Smiley and Art Mathisen. These players were so dominant in the Big Ten, that only Northwestern's Otto Graham could crack the all-conference team.[1]
The Army drafted Mathisen, Menke and Smiley. That left only Vance and Phillip, both good enough to be selected to Illinois' All-Century team. But coach Doug Mills made a decision in February 1943 that all five always supported, the club did not participate in either the NCAA or NIT tournament.[2] Wyoming's NCAA championship that season may not have happened had Illinois’ season not coincided with World War II.
Four of the five, minus Mathisen, returned to Illinois and tried to recapture the glory for one more season in 1946–47 after the war ended, but the chemistry had changed as well as their talent. Illinois went 14–6.
The final living Whiz Kid, Gene Vance, died in 2012.
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Contents
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Team
- Bishop Barrick
- Raymond Bergeson
- Frank Bohac
- Clifton Fulton
- Raymond Grierson F
- Gordon Hortin G
- John Kjellstrom G
- Arthur Mathisen C
- Kenneth Menke F
- Edwin Parker C-F
- Kenneth Parker G
- Andrew Phillip F-G
- Alton Shirley C
- Oliver Shoaff F
- Arthur Smiley G
- Ellis Vance G
Record
| Date | Opponent | Score | Result | Location |
| December 7, 1942 | Detroit | 38–25 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| December 12, 1942 | Nebraska | 69–27 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| December 14, 1942 | Missouri | 51–30 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| December 19, 1942 | Great Lakes | 57–53 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| December 21, 1942 | Camp Grant | 31–41 | Loss | Rockford, IL |
| January 2, 1943 | Stanford | 38–26 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| January 9, 1943 | Michigan | 47–34 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| January 11, 1943 | Wisconsin | 47–34 | Win | Madison, WI |
| January 16, 1943 | Iowa | 61–41 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| January 18, 1943 | Iowa | 66–34 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| February 1, 1943 | Northwestern | 68–51 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| February 6, 1943 | Ohio State | 60–48 | Win | Columbus, OH |
| February 8, 1943 | Ohio State | 50–44 | Win | Columbus, OH |
| February 8, 1943 | Minnesota | 56–35 | Win | Minneapolis, MN |
| February 15, 1943 | Minnesota | 67–43 | Win | Minneapolis, MN |
| February 20, 1943 | Wisconsin | 50–26 | Win | Champaign, IL |
| February 27, 1943 | Northwestern | 68–51 | Win | Evanston, IL |
| February 27, 1943 | University of Chicago | 92–25 | Win | Champaign, IL |
Awards and honors
See also
- Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
- 1943 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
- List of NCAA Division I institutions
References
External links
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