Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Breaking down each program’s 2018 recruiting class

By Lukas Harkins

EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 26: General view of the Breslin Center. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI - JANUARY 26: General view of the Breslin Center. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Underwood of Illinois. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Underwood of Illinois. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

Illinois Fighting Illini

Class rankings: 5th in Big Ten, 22nd nationally

Commitments: Ayo Dosunmu (30), Tevian Jones (110), Alan Griffin (173), Samba Kane (275), Giorgi Bezhanishvili (401)

Even though Illinois had a disappointing season on the court this past year, they were hot on the recruiting trail. Head coach Brad Underwood is bringing an excellent class for 2018. While it is never fair to put high expectations on freshmen, could this be the class that returns Illinois to their prior glory of the mid-2000s?

Leading the way for this group is 6’4″ combo guard Ayo Dosunmu. A top-50 recruit in the country, Dosunmu was sought after by some of the best programs in the country. While it always great to secure recruits of this caliber, it is even better that Underwood was able to sign a top-tier local recruit. Dosunmu is from Chicago and is an in-state commitment. If Underwood is able to work the state of Illinois as a pipeline to Champaign, then that could go a long way over time.

While Dosumnu is the crowning jewel of the class, Tevian Jones is another solid pickup. The 6’6″ wing player should immediately see minutes in the Illini rotation thanks to his size and scoring ability. In addition, he should help to fill out the hole left in the rotation after Leron Black, the leading scorer and rebounder in 2017-18, decided to go pro. The 10th-best recruit out of California, snagging Jones away from west coast schools like Arizona, USC, and Cal is definitely a recruiting win for Underwood and Company.

The remaining players in the class were mainly recruited by programs at the mid-major level. This, though, should not take away from their potential to succeed in the Big Ten. Shooting guard Alan Griffin has excellent size at 6’5″ to compete on the wing. Then, big men Samba Kane and Giorgi Bezhanishvili round out the class.

The Illini return a lot of talent heading into 2018 so roles might not be available for these three but they will be parts of the future.

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