Bruce Weber was fired out by Illinois director Mike Thomas

Less than a month ago, Illinois coach Bruce Weber sat down moments after a home loss and gave a brutally frank accounting of his team’s shortcomings and his own.

Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas made it official Friday, firing Bruce Weber less than 24 hours after the men’s basketball team lost its opening game in the Big Ten tournament. Illinois dropped to 17-15 after a Big Ten tournament loss to Iowa on Thursday and was 55-66 in conference play in Weber’s last six seasons.

‘‘It’s difficult to make these decisions when you’re talking about a quality person like Bruce Weber,’’ Thomas said. ‘‘However, when making decisions of this magnitude, there are many things that need to be considered, including the direction of the program in terms of wins and losses, competitiveness in the Big Ten and fan support.’’

Virginia Commonwealth coach Shaka Smart, Wichita State coach Gregg Marshall and Butler coach Brad Stephens, among others, might be candidates to replace Weber. Assistant coach Jerrance Howard will serve as interim coach until a new coach is hired, Thomas said. Howard will direct the team if it ends up playing in the National Invitation Tournament.

Weber said he spent the last three years coaching to win immediately, rather than building a program. He failed to build what he called a culture of toughness. And his teams lacked leadership. Weber, who has three years left on his $1.5 million-a-year contract, will receive a buyout of $3.9 million, or $1.3 million a year.

‘‘I’m sick about it,’’ Weber’s longtime friend Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. ‘‘I think it was ridiculous the way that thing was handled. And if I take abuse for that, I really don’t care.’’

Weber leaves Illinois with a nine-year record of 201-101, including Big Ten championships in 2004 and 2005, with a trip to the national championship game in 2005, when Illinois was 37-2.

‘‘I don’t even know if we’ll be in the NIT, to be honest,’’ said Weber, calling the Illini an NIT bubble team. ‘‘It’s always great to play in the NCAA,’’ D.J. Richardson said. ‘‘But we just want to keep playing games. [If it’s the NIT], that’ll have to do.’’

Weber is the third coach fired since November by Thomas, who was hired in August. Football coach Ron Zook ($2.6 million) and women’s basketball coach Jolette Law ($620,000) also have been dismissed. Their combined buyouts are more than $7 million.