1943–44 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team one player from the 1942-43 season, Gordon Horton, who wasn't even a starter, which meant the entire lineup was made up of rookie/unproven players. The starting lineup consisted of Walton Kirk, Howard Judson, Ray DeMoulin, Bob Morton, Don Delaney and Gordon Gillespie. !colspan=12 style="background:#DF4E38; color:white;"| Non-Conference regular season !colspan=9 style="background:#DF4E38; color:#FFFFFF;"|Big Ten regular season 1943–44 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team The 1943–44 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represented the University of Illinois. March 1, 1943, changed the future of Fighting Illini men's basketball when the team was broken up due to all five starters from back-to-back Big Ten
United States men's national basketball team "Dream Team", featuring 14 Hall of Famers (11 players, 3 coaches). The team is currently ranked first in the FIBA World Rankings. Traditionally composed of amateur players, the U.S. dominated the first decades of international basketball, winning a record seven consecutive Olympic gold medals. However, by the end of the 1980s, American amateurs were no longer competitive against seasoned professionals from the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia. In 1989, FIBA modified its rules and allowed USA Basketball to field teams with National Basketball Association players. The first such team, known as the "Dream Team", won the gold medal at the 1992