Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Updated way-too-early rankings after the NBA Draft

By Lukas Harkins

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 04: The Michigan Wolverines celebrate after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-66 during the championship game of the Big 10 Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 4, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 04: The Michigan Wolverines celebrate after defeating the Purdue Boilermakers 75-66 during the championship game of the Big 10 Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden on March 4, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /
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EAST LANSING, MI – FEBRUARY 20: Frazier #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini plays. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images)
EAST LANSING, MI – FEBRUARY 20: Frazier #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini plays. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

Illinois basketball finished just 4-14 in conference play last season, a record that landed them at 11th in the Big Ten standings (tied for second-to-last). The biggest loss from last year to this one is clearly leading scorer Leron Black electing to leave the program to pursue professional opportunities. However, he is not the only player not returning from last season. Te’Jon Lucas, Michael Finke, Mark Alstork, and Mark Smith (also Matic Vesel, Cameron Liss, and Clayton Jones) all played valuable minutes a year ago and will not be coming back to the Illini.

It is hard to lose eight players in one offseason as Illinois has but there is still reason for hope. At the forefront of this is ridiculously talented rising sophomore guard Trent Frazier. One of the best freshmen in the conference last season, the 6-foot-4 Frazier was electric for Illinois. He averaged 12.5 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game a year ago and should build on those statistics as the go-to-player this season.  He started in 16 of Illinois’ 32 games last season and it is fair to say that he will be a full-time starter this season. In addition to Frazier, rising junior Kipper Nichols (10.0 points, 4.2 rebounds) and rising senior Aaron Jordan (7.9 points) will take on larger roles within the offense.

With only three major contributors returning, it is easy to be wary of picking Illinois too high in the preseason. There is a clear lack of experience on this roster but the incoming infusion of talent brought by head coach Brad Underwood’s 2018 recruiting class will certainly help. Led by 6-foot-4 combo guard Ayo Dosunmu, the No. 32 ranked player in the class, Illinois’ incoming group of freshmen ranks at No. 23 in the nation by 247Sports.

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