Illinois Basketball: Top 10 Games Every Illini Fan Wishes to Attend
February 16, 1963; Illinois vs. Indiana (Downey drops 53)
There were some games that I wasn’t alive to witness and this was the case back on February 16, 1963.
The Illinois basketball team was struggling for most of the 1950’s and into the beginning of the 1960’s. Legendary coach Harry Combes had started off hot with the Illini, but things were really slowing down.
Combes ended up striking gold in the 1962-63 season, though. This gold was in the shape of talented player Dave Downey.
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Downey was a legend and a scoring machine with Illinois. He had one of the more historic careers and would have been one of the top 3 scorers in program history had they let freshman play on varsity.
The career Downey had with the Illini was superb. His sophomore season he averaged 16.8 PPG and 11.1 RPG. He followed that up with a junior performance of 20.2 PPG and 12.2 RPG.
Downey’s senior campaign was also great. He averaged 19.7 PPG and 9.8 RPG. The team made it back to the NCAA Tournament that year and advanced to the second round.
That season was special for another reason, though. Illinois went to Indiana and put up a great fight against the Hoosiers. Despite the loss, Downey put up 53 points in that game.
Downey’s 53 points were the all-time single game record for the Illini at the time and it still stands today.
Illinois had a special team that year and it was led by Downey. I wish I was alive to have seen the magic on the floor.
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