30 Years Later: The Flyin’ Illini

The TelegraphLou Henson. Kendall Gill. Nick Anderson. Kenny Battle.

The Flyin’ Illini encapsulated the late 1980s for Illini fans and were a defining team of the decade for college basketball. This special team is often thought of as one of the greatest teams in the history of the University of Illinois, as head coach Lou Henson led the star-studded squad to a 31-5 record, losing a heartbreaker to No. 10 Michigan in the Final Four.

While Henson’s teams were known for an aggressive full-court defense, scoring was abundant in the 1988-89 season. The Fighting Illini scored 100 points or more eight times over the course of the season, including a 127-100 victory over LSU in Baton Rouge on Dec.…