The 1989 Flyin' Illini
Posted by Dan O'Brien on March 31, 2005 12:40 AM
As the 2005 Illini became the dominate team within the world of college basketball, the fans began to wonder: Is this team better than the 1989 Flyin' Illini? With the National Semifinal two days away, the '05 vs. '89 debate has become a burgeoning media sub-plot to
the point of distraction. The 2005 team has broken many records of the school records held by the 1989 team, and with a win on Saturday against Louisville they will make it farther than any other Illinois team in the NCAA tournament (and go a ways towards squashing the debate perhaps). Nevertheless, the intensity of the discussion is a tribute to legendary status of the 1989 squad.
Lou Henson's 1988-89 squad was lead by Kenny Battle, Nick Anderson, Kendall Gill, Steve Bardo, and Lowell Hamilton, with Marcus Liberty first off the bench. They scored and dunked with ease; a splendid team with a premature tragic conclusion.
- Bragging rights battle >>
[chicagotribune.com] - Worst time to argue about Illini's best >>
[suntimes.com]
| 1989 Flyin' Illini 31-5 (14-4) Final AP Ranking: 3 2nd Place in Big Ten |
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| Date | Opponent | Result | |
| Nov 26 | Illinois-Chicago | W 85-59 | |
| Nov 29 | Metro State | W 86-55 | |
| Dec 3 | Mississippi | W 91-79 | |
| Dec 6 | Florida (19) | W 97-67 | |
| Dec 9 | Duquesne | W 112-81 | |
| Dec 10 | Arkansas-Little Rock | W 107-88 | |
| Dec 17 | Tennessee Tech | W 105-77 | |
| Dec 19 | Missouri (10) (at St. Louis) | W 87-84 | |
| Dec 22 | at Louisiana State | W 127-100 | |
| Dec 28 | Tulsa (at Honolulu) | W 85-58 | |
| Dec 29 | Georgia Tech (17) (at Honolulu) | W 80-75 | |
| Dec 30 | at Hawaii | W 96-87 | |
| Jan 7 | Michigan State | W 71-54 | |
| Jan 12 | Wisconsin | W 103-80 | |
| Jan 14 | Michigan (6) | W 96-84 | |
| Jan 19 | at Northwestern | W 75-70 | |
| Jan 22 | Georgia Tech (2OT) | W 103-92 | |
| Jan 26 | at Minnesota | L 62-69 | |
| Jan 28 | Indiana (16) | W 75-65 | |
| Feb 2 | at Purdue | L 72-76 | |
| Feb 5 | at Iowa (9) | L 82-86 | |
| Feb 9 | Ohio State (16) | W 62-60 | |
| Feb 11 | Northwestern | W 86-69 | |
| Feb 16 | at Michigan State | W 75-56 | |
| Feb 18 | at Wisconsin | L 52-72 | |
| Feb 20 | Purdue | W 102-75 | |
| Feb 26 | at Ohio State | W 94-71 | |
| Mar 2 | Minnesota | W 63-58 | |
| Mar 5 | at Indiana (3) | W 70-67 | |
| Mar 8 | Iowa (15) | W 118-94 | |
| Mar 11 | at Michigan (8) | W 89-73 | |
| NCAA Midwest Regional | |||
| Mar 16 | McNeese St. (at Indianapolis) | W 77-71 | |
| Mar 18 | Ball State (18) (at Indianapolis) | W 72-60 | |
| Mar 24 | Louisville (12) (at Minneapolis) | W 83-69 | |
| Mar 26 | Syracuse (7) (at Minneapolis) | W 89-86 | |
| NCAA Final Four, Seattle | |||
| Apr 1 | Michigan (10) | L 81-83 | |
