NCAA Basketball: Top 25 frontcourts for 2020-21 season

Much like the positive offseason news surrounding the return of backcourt star Ayo Dosunmu, the Illinois program also received celebratory news from freshman stud Kofi Cockburn of his intentions to play in Champaign for another season.

Cockburn exceeded expectations for his freshman season, despite the breakout of Giorgi Bezhanishvili in 2018. His physicality proved to be too valuable for Coach Underwood to keep off the court and he showed why he’s such a reliable offensive presence to compliment guards on the floor.

Illini fans can look for an improved year for Cockburn, even on top of 2019’s performance, with the arrival of elite playmaker Andre Curbelo. The freshman guard has exceptional court vision and passing ability to open lanes for bigs to score at a high clip.

This added dynamic will help to return the pre-Cockburn productivity for Bezhanishvili Driving lanes, pick-and-pop, pick-and-roll, and catch-and-shoot opportunities are all going to be available for him to take advantage of and establish a comfortable rhythm scoring the ball.

The overall depth available for Underwood to utilize has also improved this offseason. Freshman Coleman Hawkins joins the program, after spending time with notable program Prolific Prep. Hawkins won’t be relied upon to score the ball at a high rate, but his defensive skills and versatility guarding multiple positions make him a valuable rotational piece for Illinois to improve their overall performances.

While sophomore Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk is looking to earn more playing time in 2020, he offers a little more upside as an offensive weapon behind the starting duo if more playing time is afforded.

This year’s team returns a lot of the physicality it featured in 2019, but there’s more length on it as well. The Illini are going to be a much more productive rebounding team in 2020 and can expect to be more competitive with added talent to their already strong roster.