The 1973-74 Fighting Illini men 's basketball team had done something that no other Illinois team in history had accomplished , finishing last in the Big Ten , tenth place . In the history of the school , Illinois has only had one worse finish , the 1998-99 season , where they ended the year in eleventh place . However , the 1998-99 team played for the Big Ten Tournament championship , losing to Michigan State in the championship game . The 1973-74 season also witnessed the conclusion of a very difficult tenure at the position of head coach . Harv Schmidt , a former player turned head coach , finished his seventh season at Illinois with an overall record of 89 wins and 77 losses . Unfortunately for Schmidt , several situations contributed to his demise , most of the problems being not of his doing . He was a disciplinarian and demanded attention to detail . He worked his players hard yet he was fair and considerate of their needs . Schmidt had high expectations from his team and set a good example by working as hard as he expected his players to work
championship game
1999 Big Ten Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
1973–74 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team