The 1978–79 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois.
Regular season In 1978–79 season, Illinois finished seventh in the Big Ten, but went 19–11 overall, including ascension to No. 2 in the national polls after starting the year 15–0. During this season, Illinois upset top-ranked Michigan State and Magic Johnson, 57–55, in one of the school's most memorable games. It was during this season that Illinois also led the nation in field-goal percentage defense (.404).
Roster
Schedule SourceUniversity of Illinois Fighting Illini Statistics Summary for 1978–79 , 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 Minutes played Field goals Free throws Rebounds Assists Blocks Steals PointsMark Smith30897160841731212353404Eddie Johnson307861682617052418362Rob Judson 30918123356861333281Neil Bresnahan 308401054023675732250James Griffin 30426105199872912229Derek Holcomb 298189034190498617214Levi Cobb30504682412229419160Steve Lanter 274733516385211572Perry Range24180211425120856Bryan Leonard 16456111114223Larry Lubin 228860491612Kevin Westervelt 8152530009Cletis Hubbard 8222224016Matt Meyer 690010000Dave Schulter 250011000
Awards and honors Eddie Johnson Fighting Illini All-Century team (2005) Mark Smith Team Most Valuable Player
Team players drafted into the NBA Player NBA club Round Pick
Rankings
References