Illinois Basketball: 2020-21 season preview for the Fighting Illini
The Illinois Fighting Illini are a threat to win the Big Ten and make noise in March
The 2020-21 edition of Illinois basketball will be a top-five team in the Big Ten again. Whether they can be top two or win the conference remains to be seen. Curbelo and Miller are going to be players to watch in the backcourt for sure and if they can produce together at a high level, watch out because Illinois will continue to thrive.
The competition at the top of the Big Ten is tough. The Fighting Illini could find themselves with a four or five seed in the NCAA Tournament unless they receive an auto bid courtesy of the Big Ten Tournament.
I’m also interested to see how Trent Frazier will do in his final season. I think he can excel on the wing and make plays off the ball, and he has done it time and time again. He will be the x-factor for the team. While the Illini have a strong group of guards, the real strength lies in their frontcourt. Look for Cockburn and Bezhanishvili to be the best frontcourt tandem this year.
Next. Preseason top-25 power rankings for 2020-21. dark
My bold prediction, the Fighting Illini win the Big Ten, Dosunmu and Cockburn differentiate themselves as a point guard-center duo, and the Fighting Illini make the Final Four.