Illinois Basketball: Evaluating scenarios for Illini heading into 2020-21 season
By Tim Edmonds
Kofi Cockburn Returns to Illinois Basketball
Illinois finishes 20-14, 9-9 in conference play and reaches NCAA Tournament.
The draft experts’ predictions come true, as Cockburn returns to school and Dosunmu is snatched in the late first round by the Toronto Raptors. With their frontcourt set, the Illini attempt to cobble together a backcourt committee to replace the production of Dosunmu, something they struggle to accomplish effectively all season.
A group of Miller, Frazier, Williams, and incoming freshmen Andre Curbelo provides the Illini with inconsistent guard play, proving to be their Achilles heel despite one of the nation’s best frontcourts.
Speaking of the guys up front, Cockburn returns to join Bezhanishvili and to headline one of the top power forward-center combinations in the nation. The 2020-21 season sees both big men build upon impressive previous production, as Cockburn averages a double-double and Bezhanishvili puts together his finest season in Champaign as a senior, culminating in an appearance on the Third Team All-Big Ten.
On the wing, Holy Cross transfer Jacob Grandison puts together a solid first season after sitting out 2019-20, following up on the impressive numbers he posted in the Patriot League by averaging over 10 points a game and shooting just shy of 40 percent from deep. As his emergence helps Underwood’s team stay above water and remain competitive after Dosunmu’s departure.
Led by their dominant frontcourt, the Illini remain in the middle of the pack in the Big Ten all season. Finishing with a 19-13 record after a quarterfinal loss to Iowa in the Big Ten Tournament, they still grab a place in the NCAA tournament — their first since 2013 — and claim a #9 seed in the process.
Taking on the upstart #8 seeded University of Richmond in the first round, the Fighting Illini fall 81-71 to the eventual Elite Eight finishers as the Spiders complete their best season in program history at the expense of Brad Underwood’s team.