Busting Brackets
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Big Ten basketball: Top 15 players for the 2019-20 season

By Austin Walther

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with Cassius Winston #5 in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA - APRIL 06: Head coach Tom Izzo of the Michigan State Spartans talks with Cassius Winston #5 in the second half against the Texas Tech Red Raiders during the 2019 NCAA Final Four semifinal at U.S. Bank Stadium on April 6, 2019 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 05: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is fouled by Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes at the United Center on December 05, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 05: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini is fouled by Kaleb Wesson #34 of the Ohio State Buckeyes at the United Center on December 05, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

15. Giorgi Bezhanishvili, Sophomore, Forward, Illinois

Giorgi Bezhanishvili started and played in all 33 games for Illinois last season. He was the only Illini to play in every game for them. The only other freshman coach Brad Underwood let do that last season was a top-35 recruit. Illinois had a ton of confidence in the big man from the country of Georgia and he didn’t let them down.

He seemed to respond big against high-quality opponents. Giorgi put up 17 against Gonzaga in Maui. He scored 22 vs. Notre Dame on the road. Giorgi scored double-digits in 14 out of 20 Big Ten games. His first 30-point game came against Rutgers in February and his first double-double was vs. Penn State. Sure both of them were teams near the bottom, but the guy is a force when given the chance.

I watch just about every Badger game so obviously I was tuned in during the first matchup between Wisconsin and Illinois last season. What I remember most from watching Illinois that night was how good Giorgi looked whenever they gave him the ball inside. We all know Dosunmu and Frazier can his the outside shot, but Giorgi caused fits in the paint. If he gets the right matchup during a game, he will be up near 15 points per game with the rebounding and block shots just coming naturally.

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