Busting Brackets
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: Keys to success for the Fighting Illini in 2019-20

By Lukas Harkins

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 14: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini gives instructions to his team against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the United Center on March 14, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - MARCH 14: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini gives instructions to his team against the Iowa Hawkeyes at the United Center on March 14, 2019 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 10: Frazier of Illinois dribbles. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 10: Frazier of Illinois dribbles. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

Illinois basketball is facing high expectations this season. What will it take for the Fighting Illini to attain their lofty goals?

Despite the fact that Illinois Basketball has missed the NCAA Tournament in each of the past six seasons, expectations are high for this coming campaign. The Fighting Illini are returning a strong core that flashed plenty of promise last year and they look poised for a major breakout season. Even though the program finished just 12-21 (7-13 B10) last season, it is important to mention that this was partially a byproduct of playing a rigorous slate of games. Illinois finished the year at No. 84 in KenPom while playing the 13th-toughest schedule.

With head coach Brad Underwood at the helm, the Illini have emerged as a very fun team to watch. They play at pace, force a ton of turnovers, and can score at all three levels. With over 80% of their total minutes from last season returning for 2019-20, it is easy to see why there is excitement regarding the program. At the core of this returning group are an electric junior guard and a talented sophomore duo. Considering Illinois’ poor record last season and their youthful roster, it is easy to be skeptical of this team but there are reasons to be intrigued as well.

Illinois is widely projected to take a leap into the NCAA Tournament conversation this season. That would be a significant improvement from finishing 7th or worse in the Big Ten in each of the last eight seasons. What will it take to live up to those high expectations and skyrocket into the upper half of the conference?

Let’s take a look at a few potential keys to success for the Fighting Illini. There are plenty of areas for potential improvements compared to last season but their returning core looks poised to take those steps.

Home/Illinois Fighting Illini