NCAA Basketball: 8 biggest takeaways from 2023 NBA Draft deadline results

Illinois gets both Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins

There were a number of players that returned that were projected to do so the entire time. Yet there were also some big pending decisions that were viewed as “50/50”, or could go either way. Illinois had two of them, including leading scorer Shannon and starting forward Hawkins.

The first decision was one of the most important ones, as Shannon made the choice to return. He averaged 17.2 ppg and 4.6 rpg and played the league guard position. He arguably was the reason why the team even made the NCAA Tournament after their ups and downs last season.

Hawkins was just as big a return as Shannon, due to his versatile play and a lack of frontcourt options for the Illini had he stayed in the draft. The 6’10 forward averaged 9.9 ppg, 6.3 rpg, and a team-leading 3.0 apg as a junior. The team lost a few key pieces this offseason but brings its two best players back and already has a pair of incoming transfers (Justin Harmon and Marcus Domask) on the roster as well.

With Michigan State bringing back its guards and Purdue having Edey back, the Big Ten is going to be in great shape at the top next season. And if they can land Toledo transfer and MAC Player of the Year guard Rayj Dennis, Illinois could be right up there with them as contenders.