Big Ten Basketball: Preseason power rankings for 2020-21 season

By Adam Childs | Sep 16, 2020

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 12: Big Ten logo on the floor before the Big Ten Men's Basketball Final against the Wisconsin Badgers and Michigan Wolverines at the Verizon Center on March 12, 2017 in Washington, DC. The Wolverines won 71-56. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** /

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – MARCH 08: Kofi Cockburn #21 of the Illinois Fighting Illini (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

2. team. 481. . . . Fighting Illini

The Fighting Illini was a trendy pick to make a jump in the Big Ten last year and now they are going to be the trendy pick to win the conference.

It was a tough start to the offseason when both freshman of the year Kofi Cockburn and Ayo Dosunmu both put their names into the early entry list for the NBA draft. Without them, the Illini looked poised to take a drop in the conference, but then they both decided to return and now they are ready to battle for a conference title.

The Illini knew what they had in Dosunmu and he delivered last year averaging 16.6 points per game on his way to a first-team All-Big Ten selection. When he was playing well the Illini were one of the best teams, if not the best team in the Big Ten.

Dosunmu did a lot by himself but he got a lot of help from Cockburn. The big man from Jamaica averaged 13.3 points and 8.8 rebounds per game to win top honors for a freshman in the conference. His return is huge for the Illini as he was nearly unstoppable for opposing defenses last year.

Under Brad Underwood, the Illini have been a great defensive team, but the return of Dosunmu, Cockburn, and Trent Frazier give them the offense capable of playing with any team in not only the Big Ten but also the country.

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