Busting Brackets
Fansided

Big Ten Basketball: Top 10 recruits joining the conference in 2018-19

By Lukas Harkins

INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - MARCH 12: A general interior view of the empty court during the semifinals of the 2011 Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse on March 12, 2011 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Andy Lyons/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) /

Ayo Dosunmu, Illinois

Guard | 6-foot-5 | 185 lbs | No. 32 overall

Illinois basketball really struggled last season in its first year under head coach Brad Underwood, finishing with just a 14-18 (4-14 Big Ten) overall record. Despite this, though, Coach Underwood is already off to a fast start in rebuilding the program through recruiting and Ayo Dosunmu is a large part of this. A top-50 recruit in the 2018 class, Dosunmu is a sensational guard that the fanbase has high hopes for.

With excellent size, playmaking, and shooting abilities, Dosunmu projects as an outstanding combo guard at the college level. From his moment on the court in an Illini uniform, he should be one of the top players on the team alongside guard Trent Frazier. Even though the Fighting Illini still presumably have plenty of work to do in order to climb up the Big Ten rankings, a Dosunmu-Frazier backcourt will at the very least make opponents work.

In addition to just Dosunmu’s play on the court, he could have a lasting impact on the program from a recruiting perspective. This was the first major landing for Coach Underwood and he could just be the first of many. Let’s not forget that, although there have been in struggles in recent years, the Illinois program was dominant in the mid-2000’s. Could the new coaching regime help the Fighting Illini return to the dominance run by the trio of Head-Williams-Brown?

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