NCAA Basketball: Top 25 strongest backcourts for 2020-21 season

17. Illinois Fighting Illini

Despite suffering losses to senior Andres Feliz and the transfer of Alan Griffin to Syracuse, a combined 20 points per game, the situation could be much worse for the Illini heading into the 2020 season. An 11th-hour decision from star guard Ayo Dosunmu to return to Champaign for his junior season was a huge sigh of relief to the Illinois fanbase.

Dosunmu was the heart and soul of the program in 2019 and will help carry the Illini to potentially their highest ranking since 2012-13. He showed growth in his shooting efficiency last season, but will likely need to find similar growth from the perimeter to gain the attention of NBA scouts he’s been seeking.

Senior guard Trent Frazier is also back and stands to rise above 10 points per game with the newfound offensive opportunities on this year’s roster. He needs to increase his footprint in the playmaking department, but his consistent production will be relied upon outside of Dosunmu’s 16.6 points per game. Coach Brad Underwood will be also counting on Holy Cross transfer Jacob Grandison to provide more experience and production off the bench on the 2020 roster.

However, Underwood’s biggest hopes will be for the immediate emergence of freshman Adam Miller and Andre Curbelo. Miller’s 22.0 points per game on the Nike EYBL circuit last year was 12th best in the nation and he will bring in considerable upside in this department once he adjusts to the new level of competition.

Curbelo’s 16.5 points per game on the Adidas Gauntlet circuit are nothing to scoff at, but his approach to the game and circuit-leading 5.5 assists per game have the potential to elevate the efficiency for which the Illini play the game.

Both players should find the learning curve to the college level to be small, but Coach Underwood definitely has plenty of pieces on next year’s roster to assemble a strong season.