Busting Brackets
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Big Ten Basketball: Breakout candidate from each team for 2020-21 season

By Trevor Sinodhinos

MADISON, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 01: D'Mitrik Trice #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers reacts in the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at the Kohl Center on February 01, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images)
MADISON, WISCONSIN - FEBRUARY 01: D'Mitrik Trice #0 of the Wisconsin Badgers reacts in the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at the Kohl Center on February 01, 2019 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 05: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – DECEMBER 05: Giorgi Bezhanishvili #15 of the Illinois Fighting Illini (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Illinois: Giorgi Bezhanishvili

To paraphrase the words of Rock Master Scott and the Dynamic Three “Somebody, anybody everybody” and while coach Brad Underwood might be the only one screaming, he does need somebody to step up during the 2020-21 season for Illinois Basketball.

The Fighting Illini are projected to lose their three top scorers after a 13-7 conference tournament that landed them fourth in the Big Ten.  Senior Andres Feliz (11 PPG) is departing along with underclassmen Ayo Dosunmu (16 PPG) and Kofi Cockburn (13 PPG) declaring for the draft. The four-star freshmen joining the team are a pair of guards to add to the already crowded backcourt. That leaves the ‘somebody’ to step up and breakthrough as Giorgi Bezhanishvili.

Bezhanishvili had nearly double the scoring output as a freshman than he did as a sophomore when he averaged just three more minutes, but his usage rate fell six percent when Cockburn joined the team. With the first three options leaving, the Illini will have Tim Frazier and Bezhanishvili to lean on, as nine-point man Alan Griffin will be transferring to Syracuse.

At 6’9 Bezhanishvili needs to be paid attention to on the perimeter as his usage rate could rise at least six percent back to his freshman total. If his field goal percentage goes back to his freshman numbers it will be an eleven percent increase, all lending itself to Bezhanishvili exceeding his freshman stats and breaking out.

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