1.
Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
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The Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball team is an NCAA Division I college basketball team competing in the Big Ten Conference. Home games are played at the State Farm Center, located on the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaigns campus in Champaign, the team is currently coached by Brad Underwood, hired on 18 March 2017. Through the end of the 2013–14 season, Illinois ranks 13th all-time in winning percentage, prior to World War II breaking out, the Fighting Illini mens basketball program had achieved a status which it had never seen prior. Under the direction of coach and athletic director Douglas R. Mills. Through his first five seasons as coach, Combes led the Fighting Illini to three NCAA Final Four appearances in 1949,1951, and 1952. During his tenure as coach, Combes increased the Fighting Illinis offensive output by changing their style of play, Combes implemented Full-court press defense, causing turnovers at a high rate which translated into Fast break points. During the 1957–58 season, Mannie Jackson and Govoner Vaughn were inserted into the lineup as the first two African-Americans to start and letter in basketball at Illinois. Combes also oversaw the Illinis move from Huff Hall to Assembly Hall in 1963, however, the Illini lost to eventual national champion Loyola in the Elite Eight of the 1963 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Tournament. The following 1964–65 season, saw several upset victories over defending national champion UCLA Bruins and national powerhouse Kentucky Wildcats at Memorial Coliseum in Lexington, Henson would lead the Fighting Illini back to their glory after having a number of difficult years following the Illinois slush fund scandal. In 21 years at Illinois, Henson garnered 423 wins and 224 losses, the 214 wins in Big Ten games were the third highest total ever at the time of his retirement. At Illinois, Henson coached many future NBA players, including Eddie Johnson, Derek Harper, Ken Norman, Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill, Kenny Battle, Marcus Liberty, Steve Bardo, and Kiwane Garris. In 1981, Illinois made strides in its return to the spotlight with a 21–8 record, a third-place Big Ten finish. The team received a bye in the NCAA Tournament and beat Wyoming, 67–65, in Los Angeles to advance to the regionals in Salt Lake City. During this season, the Fighting Illini led the Big Ten in scoring for the consecutive season and were again led by Eddie Johnson. Guards Craig Tucker and Derek Harper arrived to add backcourt punch, the top-seeded and top-ranked 1989 Illini were upset 83–81 in the Final Four on a last second basket by Michigans Sean Higgins, ending the schools deepest run in the tournament at that time. Illinois had beaten the Wolverines by 12 and 16 points in two meetings that season. The 1988–89 Illinois Fighting Illini team gained the moniker Flyin Illini by Dick Vitale during an ESPN broadcast that season, the early 1990s Illini were dominated by players such as guards Andy Kauffman, Richard Keene, and Kiwane Garris, as well as centers Shelly Clark and Deon Thomas. Thomas was at the center of a report of misconduct by Iowa Hawkeyes mens basketball assistant coach Bruce Pearl, the Illini were suspended from postseason play for one season for unrelated violations uncovered during the investigation
2.
Big Ten Conference
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The Big Ten Conference, formerly Western Conference and Big Nine Conference, is the oldest Division I collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference includes the public university in each of 11 states stretching from New Jersey to Nebraska. The Big Ten Conference was established in 1895 when Purdue University president James H, in 1905, the conference was officially incorporated as the Intercollegiate Conference Athletic Association. Big Ten member institutions are predominantly major flagship research universities with large financial endowments, large student enrollment is also a hallmark of Big Ten universities, as 12 of the 14 members feature enrollments of 30,000 or more students. Northwestern University, one of just two members with a total enrollment of fewer than 30,000 students, is the lone private university among Big Ten membership. Collectively, Big Ten universities educate more than 520,000 total students and have 5.7 million living alumni, Big Ten universities engage in $9.3 billion in funded research each year. Big Ten universities are members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance. In 2014–2015, members generated more than $10 billion in research expenditures, Johns Hopkins University was invited in 2012 to join the Big Ten as an associate member participating in mens lacrosse only. In 2015, it was accepted as an associate member in womens lacrosse. Notre Dame is scheduled to join the Big Ten in 2017 as a member in mens ice hockey. Notes Notes Notes The University of Chicago was a co-founder of the conference, lake Forest College attended the original 1895 meeting that led to the formation of the conference, but did not join it. Full members Full members Sport Affiliate Other Conference Other Conference The Big Ten Conference sponsors championship competition in 14 mens and 14 womens NCAA sanctioned sports, Notes, * Notre Dame will join the Big Ten in the 2017–18 school year as an affiliate member in mens ice hockey. It continues to field its other sports in the ACC except in football where it will continue to compete as an independent, ° Johns Hopkins joined the Big Ten in 2014 as an affiliate member in mens lacrosse, with womens lacrosse to follow in 2016. Ohio State and Penn State, like most NCAA fencing schools, have coed teams,2, Mens rowing, whether heavyweight or lightweight, is not governed by the NCAA, but instead by the Intercollegiate Rowing Association. Rutgers Mens Rowing was downgraded to Club status in 2008,3, Unlike rifle, pistol is not an NCAA-governed sport. 4, Rifle is technically a mens sport, but mens, womens, Ohio State fields a coed team. The eligibility of student-athletes was one of the topics of discussion. The Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives was founded at a meeting on February 8,1896
3.
Kenney Gym and Kenney Gym Annex
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The Kenney Gym and the Kenney Gym Annex are two buildings located at 1402-06 Springfield Avenue in Urbana, Illinois, on the campus on the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Although the two buildings have been connected since 1914, they were built separately. They were jointly added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 under the name Military Drill Hall and Mens Gymnasium. The one-story building now known as the Kenney Gym Annex, the easternmost of the two structures, was built in 1889-90 as the Military Drill Hall and was designed by Nathan Clifford Ricker. The interior was converted for use as a gymnasium in 1914, the conversion preserved the buildings large column-free open space, which had been a necessity for military drilling. An eastern addition was made to the building in 1918 and it was originally called the Mens Gymnasium but was renamed the Mens Old Gym when Huff Hall opened in 1925. Finally in 1974, it was named after Harold Eugene Hek Kenney, a former UIUC wrestler, coach, Kenney Gym Annex is a 5, 000-seat multi-purpose arena which is the practice facility for the Fighting Illini gymnastics team. Prior to the opening of Huff Hall in 1925, Kenney Gym housed the Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball team and it also was home to the Womens Volleyball program from 1974 until 1989, after which the program moved to Huff Hall in 1990. From 1919 to 1925, Kenney Gym played host to the finals of the Illinois High School Association boys basketball tournament. Notes UIUC Dept of Campus Recreation Kenney Gym National Register nomination
4.
Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball
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The Purdue Boilermakers basketball team is a college basketball program that competes in NCAA Division I and is a member of the Big Ten Conference. Purdue basketball has the most Big Ten Championships with 23, the Boilermakers have reached two NCAA Tournament Final Fours. The 1931–32 team was named the national champion by the Helms Athletic Foundation. Purdue has sent more than 30 players to the NBA, including two overall No.1 picks in the NBA draft, Purdue shares a traditional rivalry with in-state foe Indiana University, and holds a 117–89 all-time series lead. The history of Purdue basketball dates back to 1896 with their first game against the Lafayette YMCA, in the 1902–03 season, head coach C. I. Freeman, in his season, led them to an undefeated 8–0 record. Upon conclusion of the season, the university recognized the popularity of the sport, the Boilermakers began play in the Big Ten Conference three years later, with its first championship coming in 1911 under the direction of Ralph Jones. In 1917, Ward Piggy Lambert, a basketball player at Wabash College, was named head coach of the Boilermakers. What followed was one of the most dominant eras of Purdue Basketball on the conference, under Lambert, Purdue became a front-runner in the development of the fast-paced game as it is today. Lambert compiled a record of 371–152, a.709 winning percentage. His 228 wins in Big Ten play have been bested by only Indianas Bob Knight, Lambert won an unprecedented 11 Big Ten Championships, which Bobby Knight later tied for most in conference history. In 1943, the Helms Athletic Foundation retroactively recognized Purdue as its champion for 1932. The Premo-Porretta Power Poll later recognized the Boilermakers as the 1932 national champion as well, Ward Lambert announced his resignation on January 23,1946. That same year and the following under new head coach Mel Taube. Center Paul Hoffman became the only Boiler to be named a First Team-All Big Ten selection four times in 1947, after Mel Taubes four and a half seasons, Ray Eddy, a former player and teammate of John Wooden under Lambert, took over as head coach. In 1955, his team played one of the longest games in basketball history. Schaus led the Boilermakers to the 1974 NIT Championship, becoming the first Big Ten team to capture the NIT title, in the 1978–79 season, new head coach Lee Rose introduced Purdue basketball to a new approach with a slowed-down, controlled style of play. With All-American center Joe Barry Carroll, he led them to the 1979 NIT Finals, in 1980, Gene Keady, the head coach of Western Kentucky and former assistant to Eddie Sutton with the Arkansas Razorbacks, was named the new head coach of the Boilermakers
5.
Minnesota Golden Gophers men's basketball
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The Minnesota Golden Gophers mens basketball team represents the University of Minnesota Twin Cities campus. The Golden Gophers have played in the Big Ten since the conference began sponsoring basketball in 1905, the Gophers had great success in the early years of basketball, but have been largely overshadowed by other programs since the end of World War I. In total, the Gophers have won nine Big Ten championships, college basketball research organizations have retroactively awarded Minnesota national championships in 1902,1903, and 1919. The team has also had several instances of NCAA sanctions on the program that have affected performance and recruiting. In the 1970s, the Gophers were in a violent brawl with the Ohio State Buckeyes and were barred from post-season appearances for two seasons after an incident involving the illegal resale of tickets. Still more severe was the academic scandal under then-coach Clem Haskins that resulted in the forfeit of a Final Four appearance. Initially, the Gophers team formed without any organized coach, L. J. Cooke took over the team in 1897. Cooke was put on the University payroll on a basis in early 1897 and full-time by the fall. Cooke remained the coach of the Gophers for 28 seasons, Dave MacMillan, who coached the team from 1927 to 1942 and 1945 to 1948, had the second longest tenure as coach at 18 seasons. The Gophers have had several NBA coaches grace the sidelines, John Kundla took over as Gophers head coach after the Minneapolis Lakers departed for Los Angeles. Bill Fitch and Bill Musselman both coached the team for a couple seasons before departing for the NBA and ABA respectively, the program has had a fair degree of stability with their coaching staff. Tubby Smith became the 16th head coach in Gopher basketball history when hired in 2007, Five coaches led the team for more than 10 seasons, Cooke, McMillan, O. B. Cowles, Jim Dutcher, and Clem Haskins, on March 25,2013, Tubby Smith was fired after failing to reach the Sweet Sixteen again. The Gophers hired Richard Pitino on April 3,2013, the Golden Gophers have had many successful players come through the program throughout its history. In the early years of basketball, when the Gophers had success, george Tuck was a dominant center, and the first All-America for the Gophers in 1905. Frank Lawler was another star, he led the Big Ten in scoring in 1911 and was also named to the All-America team. In 1950, Lawler was named the greatest player in Gopher basketball history, Hall of Fame coach John Kundla was also a Gophers star and helped lead the team to its 1937 Big Ten Championship. With the decline of the stature of the Gophers program, fewer elite players have joined the team, the diminished reputation has not, however, prevented some superior athletes from coming to the Minneapolis campus
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