NBA draft 2020: The Report Card

Illinois Year In ReviewGrading Every Illini Team

Some thrived. Others didn't. But sifting through the highs and lows from the past year, our Scott Richey rates how the 19 athletic programs at the University of Illinois fared during the 2023-24 school year:

Men's basketball: A

➜ Why an A: It's pretty simple. This Illinois team stood as one of the most successful in program history when the season was complete with 29 wins, a Big Ten tournament title and an Elite Eight appearance.

➜ High point: Illinois got a little bit of help from Duquesne's upset of BYU, but taking down the Dukes in the second round of the NCAA tournament was just as sweet given it propelled the Illini to the second weekend for the first time in the Brad Underwood era.

➜ Low point: Running into the reigning (and ultimately defending) national champions in the Elite Eight was a tough draw. But that doesn't exactly soothe the sting of giving up a 30-0 run to Connecticut to turn that game into a blowout.

➜ Big Ten finish: Second

➜ Last year's grade: B-

Women's track and field: A

➜ Why an A: Petros Kyprianou arrived at Illinois two years ago with the intention of turning the Illini into a national contender. This year's success put them several steps down that path with a team title at the Big Ten indoor championship and then more individual success outdoors with a national champion and multiple All-Americans last month.

➜ High point: Rose Yeboah setting the school record and NCAA championship record to win the high jump was only one highlight among many from a successful trip to Eugene, Ore., for Illinois in June.

➜ Low point: That there really wasn't one speaks to the growth of the program, but finishing fourth at the Big Ten outdoor championships following the success indoors was a touch disappointing.

➜ Big Ten finish: First (indoors); Fourth (outdoors)

➜ Last year's grade: C+

Men's golf: A

➜ Why an A: Mike Small's program is the most consistent of any Illinois sport. Expectations soar every fall and into spring, and the Illini live up to them. (Save for winning that elusive national title).

➜ High point: Not winning the Big Ten championship for the first time in nine tries didn't crater the end of Illinois' season. The opposite, in fact, was true, with the Illini winning its NCAA regional and then placing first in stroke play at the NCAA championship in consecutive trips to California.

➜ Low point: The follow-up to Illinois' dominance in stroke play at the NCAA championship? Losing in the quarterfinals of match play. Again. It's become something of a familiar roadblock.

➜ Big Ten finish: Second

➜ Last year's grade: A

Men's gymnastics: A

➜ Why an A: There might not be all that many men's gymnastics programs left at the collegiate level (just 15), but Illinois still finished fifth at the NCAA championship and had an individual national champion in Tate Costa.

➜ High point: Take your pick. Costa's high bar title was certainly a highlight, but so was four Illini taking home Big Ten titles in Connor McCool (floor exercise), Brandon Dang (pommel horse), Ashton Anaya (still rings) and Amari Sewell (vault).

➜ Low point: The Illini either never want to go back to Lincoln, Neb., or can't wait to get redemption. That was the site of their most lopsided loss, with Nebraska winning by more than 16 points.

➜ Big Ten finish: Second

➜ Last year's grade: A

Baseball: A-

➜ Why an A-: The 180-degree shift from serious early nonconference struggles to winning at an 80 percent clip after a 5-10 start was a serious stretch of good baseball. Stumbling in the postseason was not.

➜ High point: No win epitomized Illinois' season more than its 21-11 victory against No. 24 Indiana State in late April. The Illini hit seven home runs in the win, with Ryan Moerman crushing three and Cal Hejza hitting two.

➜ Low point: A single win in the Big Ten tournament and just one in NCAA regional action meant an abrupt finish to the season after winning the program's first Big Ten title in nearly a decade.

➜ Big Ten finish: First

➜ Last year's grade: C

Women's basketball: B+

➜ Why a B+: Running it back in 2023-24 after posting the best season in two decades didn't generate the same level of success. But year two of the Shauna Green era wasn't too far off, as she kept the program progressing in the right direction.

➜ High point: The combination of Makira Cook scoring a game-high 27 points and Illinois limiting Villanova's Lucy Olsen to a markedly inefficient 22 points helped the Illini beat Villanova 71-57 in the WBIT championship game for the first postseason title in program history.

➜ Low point: Illinois kept its blowout losses to a minimum, but an early December home loss to Michigan was the worst. The Wolverines crushed the Illini 84-48 in both team's Big Ten opener.

➜ Big Ten finish: Ninth

➜ Last year's grade: A

Women's tennis: B-

➜ Why a B-: The Illini hit what have become the standard landmarks for the program by reaching the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals and earning a spot in the NCAA championship. Nothing more, nothing less.

➜ High point: Opportunities against Top 25 teams were in short supply this spring, let alone wins, but Illinois did take down No. 23 Central Florida in late January. Kasia Treiber won the decisive match to clinch the upset.

➜ Low point: The Illini's stay in the NCAA championship was short, with a 4-1 loss to No. 24 Georgia Tech in the first round. Kida Ferrari posted the only win at No. 6 singles.

➜ Big Ten finish: Fifth

➜ Last year's grade: B

Men's tennis: B-

➜ Why a B-: Expectations are a bit higher for Illinois than a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten with an early exit in the Big Ten tournament and second-round loss in the NCAA championship. But it was at least tempered by the success of All-Americans Karlis Ozolins and Hunter Heck.

➜ High point: Two wins against North Carolina in the span of one week sits well with every Illinois fan. That it was a pair of victories against a ranked Tar Heels team was even better.

➜ Low point: Six straight wins to end the regular season salvaged Illinois' place in the Big Ten, but three straight March losses to Ohio State, Michigan State and Michigan were hard to overcome.

➜ Big Ten finish: Fourth

➜ Last year's grade: B

Men's cross-country: B-

➜ Why a B-: First-year coach Helen Lehman-Winters still has plenty of runway when it comes to improving the program, but the Illini at least had stronger finishes at the Big Ten championship and NCAA Midwest regional than the season prior.

➜ High point: Jack Roberts went from fourth place to first in the final 1,000 meters of the Gans Creek Classic in Columbia, Mo., to lead Illinois to a victory in the 20-team field. It was one of two wins for the Illini last fall.

➜ Low point: After finishing first or second in all four regular season meets, Illinois couldn't quite keep up its momentum at the Big Ten championship with a fifth-place finish.

➜ Big Ten finish: Fifth

➜ Last year's grade: C

Men's track and field: C+

➜ Why a C+: There was certainly more individual than team success for the Illini this season — All-Americans Aiden Ouimet and Tyler Sudduth leading the way in field events — but there was at least some improvement in their standing in the Big Ten from a year prior.

➜ High point: Ouimet was named the Big Ten men's field athlete of the championships after his heptathlon title at the Big Ten indoor championship. His score of 6,120 points set a new conference indoor record, as he became the only Illini in Big Ten history to win the award.

➜ Low point: Success indoors didn't repeat outdoors at the Big Ten championship level. Petros Kyprianou describing his team's 11th-place finish (out of 13 teams) included "disappointing performance" both because of injuries and execution.

➜ Big Ten finish: Seventh (indoors); 11th (outdoors)

➜ Last year's grade: D

Football: C

➜ Why a C: The 2023 season was insanely hyped by Illinois, with a massive push to sell season tickets and get more fans in Memorial Stadium after the Illini went 8-5 and played in a bowl game the season prior. Going 5-7 in another season with multiple missed opportunities for wins was a letdown.

➜ High point: John Paddock and Isaiah Williams delivered late-game heroics in back-to-back November games, connecting on a game-winning touchdown to beat Minnesota on the road and another — in walk-off fashion — a week later to top Indiana in overtime in Champaign.

➜ Low point: Any type of loss to Purdue would have stung last season given the Boilermakers hired Ryan Walters away from Illinois. Losing 44-19 in West Lafayette, Ind., though, was a major blow.

➜ Big Ten finish: Fifth (West division)

➜ Last year's grade: B+

Volleyball: C

➜ Why a C: Illinois posted a two-win improvement last fall after a .500 record — both overall and in Big Ten play in 2022 — but the result was the same. A seventh-place finish in the Big Ten and missing the NCAA tournament for the second straight year.

➜ High point: The Illini's only win against a ranked opponent last season came with a a 3-1 victory against No. 16 Purdue at Huff Hall in late October. Raina Terry, of course, led the way with a match-high 19 kills.

➜ Low point: Making the NCAA tournament last fall was going to require a strong finish for Illinois. Going 4-4 in November with no real notable win and losses in the final two weeks of the regular season wasn't strong enough.

➜ Big Ten finish: Seventh

➜ Last year's grade: C

Women's gymnastics: C

➜ Why a C: A 16-12 record boasted just a 4-5 mark against Big Ten opponents. Those are the matchups that truly matter, and the Illini couldn't get over the hump against the conference's best programs.

➜ High point: Washington and Arizona were both ranked No. 21 nationally when Illinois beat them, but since the Huskies are now going to be in the Big Ten, that early January victory gets the nod as the Illini's best of the season.

➜ Low point: Illinois was competitive in each of its losses — dropping some by just tenths of a point — but not pulling off a Senior Day sweep at Huff Hall by losing to No. 13 Missouri (to go with wins against Arizona and Southeast Missouri State) was a tough way to finish out the regular season.

➜ Big Ten finish: Sixth

➜ Last year's grade: C

Wrestling: D+

➜ Why a D+: Edmond Ruth's individual success was the best Illinois could point to this season. The senior was the brightest of just a few bright spots as a Big Ten champion and All-American.

➜ High point: Winning the final two Big Ten duals of the regular season — by a single point against both Purdue and Northwestern — saved Illinois from the ignominy of a winless conference slate. Beating No. 21 North Carolina was also solid.

➜ Low point: Wrestling in the Big Ten mean's facing some of the best teams in the country night in and night out. Five of Illinois' six conference losses were to ranked teams. One of the most lopsided, though, came in a 29-10 loss to Michigan State.

➜ Big Ten finish: 11th

➜ Last year's grade: C

Women's golf: D+

➜ Why a D+: Last year's season was salvaged by a dominant performance from Crystal Wang at the Big Ten championship. This year didn't have that, with Illinois finishing no better than eighth at any tournament in the fall and spring seasons combined.

➜ High point: Team success might have left Illinois wanting in the 2023-24 season, but senior Isabel Sy did tie for first in a pair of spring tournaments.

➜ Low point: Nearly of the fall season qualifies. Illinois finished 15th of 17 teams in its season opener and then 15th of 15 teams in its next two events.

➜ Big Ten finish: 11th

➜ Last year's grade: A-

Softball: D

➜ Why a D: Diminishing returns. Illinois finished third in the Big Ten and qualified for the NCAA tournament in 2022 and posted a 34-22 record that season. Which dipped to 29-27 last spring and plummeted even further to 21-31 this year.

➜ High point: The Illini won just a pair of Big Ten series this spring, and both came on the road. They rallied after a lopsided loss to take two of three at Maryland in early April and sandwiched a loss between two wins later in the month at Michigan State.

➜ Low point: The finale of Illinois' Big Ten three-game set against Minnesota was close, but the Gophers' sweep at Eichelberger Field in late March included 16-1 and 13-0 victories.

➜ Big Ten finish: 12th

➜ Last year's grade: C

Soccer: D

➜ Why a D: Illinois wasn't the lowest-scoring team in the Big Ten, but it was close. Just 21 goals in 17 matches. Tied for third fewest in the conference. A persistent issue for Janet Rayfield's squads. Especially when the Illini also gave up the fifth-most goals in the league en route to a 6-8-3 overall record and 2-6-2 mark in the Big Ten.

➜ High point: Lia Howard's goal was the only one Illinois got — and ultimately needed — in its 1-0 victory against No. 17 Xavier last August. A win that was also the Illini's only one against a ranked opponent.

➜ Low point: The Illini kept most of their matches close last fall, with just two losses by multiple goals. That included a 3-1 loss at Minnesota in early October.

➜ Big Ten finish: 12th

➜ Last year's grade: C

Women's cross-country: D

➜ Why a D: A brief regular season didn't have many highlights, and the postseason was basically the status quo from a year prior. Slightly better in the Big Ten championship. Slightly worse at the NCAA Midwest regional.

➜ High point: There was but a single win on Illinois' three-meet regular season schedule, and it came by one point against just one team (Milwaukee) at the Illini Open. Halle Hill won the 5-kilometer race for the Illini.

➜ Low point: Hill was also Illinois' top finisher at the Gans Creek Classic in late September, but the Illini finished eighth as a team ... Out of eight teams.

➜ Big Ten finish: Eighth

➜ Last year's grade: C-

Swimming and diving: D-

➜ Why a D-: This season was a back slide for Illinois in Jeana Kempe's second season as coach with a 2-6 overall record and zero wins in two Big Ten dual meets. Not to mention the same type of struggles at the Big Ten championship.

➜ High point: A trip to California late October included a tough loss at future Big Ten rival UCLA, but also the biggest win of the season with Illinois taking down Pepperdine 164-75. Freshman Adelaide Reaser won both the 500-yard freestyle and 1,000-yard freestyle.

➜ Low point: Illinois typically hovers near the bottom of the Big Ten championship leaderboard. Standing in ninth after the first day, the Illini dropped to 12th (as in last) the next, and that's where they finished.

➜ Big Ten finish: 12th

➜ Last year's grade: D+

Raptors' Quincy Guerrier: Inks Deal With Toronto

The Raptors signed Guerrier to an Exhibit 10 contract Thursday.

Guerrier finished his collegiate career with Illinois, averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds across 38 appearances in 2023-24. Guerrier will now have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot in Toronto.

UPDATE: Domask, Guerrier Sign Exhibit 10 NBA Contracts

CHAMPAIGN — Former Illinois standouts Marcus Domask and Quincy Guerrier signed Exhibit 10 contracts with the Chicago Bulls and Toronto Raptors, respectively, on Thursday after the conclusion of the 2024 NBA Draft. Neither was among the 58 draft selections but will still get a shot at earning an NBA roster spot.

An Exhibit 10 contract is a one-year, minimum salary NBA contract that is typically not guaranteed. Teams can either convert the contract to a two-way deal prior to the start of the regular season or waive the player and remove the salary cap hit from the payroll.

Domask earned All-Big Ten First Team honors in his lone season at Illinois. The 6-foot-6 guard was the team's second-leading scorer and averaged 15.9 points, five rebounds and 3.9 assists as the centerpiece of the Illini's "booty ball" offensive efforts. The Waupun, Wis., native started his career at Southern Illinois, playing four seasons with the Salukis.

Guerrier finished his college career at Illinois after spending two seasons at Syracuse and two at Oregon. He started all 38 games for the Illini (29-9) and helped them win a Big Ten tournament title and advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament. Guerrier averaged 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds and shot a career best 37 percent from three-point range.

Scott Richey is a reporter covering college basketball at The News-Gazette. His email is srichey@news-gazette.Com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@srrichey).

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