Busting Brackets
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: 5 biggest storylines for 2020-21 season

By Jack Bennett

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 21: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates after the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 21, 2020 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN - JANUARY 21: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates after the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on January 21, 2020 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 6
Next
Illini players gather after a play at Penn State
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – FEBRUARY 18: Trent Frazier #1 of the Illinois Fighting Illini (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

Coming off a very successful season, Illinois Basketball is looking to prove they belong. In a season full of storylines, these are the five that stand out.

Every Illinois basketball fan was excited to see how well the Illini played during the 2019-20 season. While they may not have gotten the chance to prove their worth in March, the Illini will most likely have the chance to do just that in this upcoming season.

The abrupt ending of the season in 2020 left many burning questions for Illini basketball in regard to the offseason. What would the decisions of Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn mean for the team? Would Adam Miller stay committed amongst rumors that he may leave to go elsewhere? Luckily for the Illini, they got the best answers to these questions in August and therefore could shift their focus on the upcoming season.

With Illini nation now looking forward to this coming season, they are left with a multitude of storylines that could affect how the season plays out. How will the transfers do? How will the freshman fit into their roles? Is this the best Illini team since 2005?

These storylines and much more have helped the Illini garner national attention already with many big-name websites and analysts listing the Illini in their top-10 rankings to begin the year. Perhaps the biggest question will come in the form of can the Illini live up to their expectations, or will they fall off under the pressure of the big stage?

While there are a handful of great storylines to choose from for this list, I’ve compiled the five that I think will impact the Illini the most this season.

Home/Illinois Fighting Illini