No. 23 Illinois will rely on new names to help stay atop the Big Ten

CHAMPAIGN — Illinois coach Brad Underwood believes a brand new crop of expertise may also help his crew keep close to the highest of the Large Ten.

The No. 23 Illini will definitely look lots completely different from final 12 months’s Large Ten title-sharing crew that featured 7-foot All-America Kofi Cockburn.

“I awakened each evening final 12 months understanding I had 20 (factors) and 10 (rebounds),” Underwood mentioned. “That’s a fairly good feeling.”

Ahead Coleman Hawkins returns a sliver of the Illini’s general manufacturing after averaging 5.9 factors and 4.3 rebounds per sport. However Illinois should exchange six of its high seven scorers and there are query marks for a program that has risen to the highest of the Large Ten in recent times.

Gone are stingy defenders Trent Frazier and Da’Monte Williams and sharpshooter Alfonso Plummer. Eclectic guard Andre Curbelo left for St. John’s after a sophomore 12 months stuffed with accidents and setbacks. Jacob Grandison transferred to Duke.

The Illini have been large winners within the offseason switch market, although, securing the abilities of former Texas Tech wing Terrence Shannon Jr. and Baylor ahead Matthew Mayer. Now it’s a matter of working collectively.

Shannon averaged 10.4 factors per sport and helped Texas Tech attain the Candy 16 earlier this 12 months.

“It’s been a fairly clean transition,” Shannon mentioned. “Comparable teaching kinds with (former Texas Tech coach) Chris Beard to (present Texas Tech coach) Mark Adams and now Coach Underwood.”

The previous Lincoln Park Excessive Faculty participant is a confirmed scorer who may additionally share ballhandling duties with a quartet of four-star freshmen guards in Skyy Clark, Ty Rodgers, Jayden Epps and Sencire Harris.

Mayer joins former Baylor teammate and ahead Dain Dainja — who sat out final 12 months after transferring in January — after profitable a nationwide championship at Baylor in 2021 and averaging a career-best 9.8 factors and 5 rebounds per sport final season.

Underwood has measured confidence in his crew’s many newcomers.

“I like our personnel,” Underwood mentioned. “I feel we’re as proficient as now we have been, it simply seems to be completely different. We’ve obtained position-less measurement. I feel that’s one of many issues I take pleasure in, it’s about benefiting from mismatches.”

He has compiled a 94-66 document in 5 seasons in Champaign, however sustaining success with a new-look group is a wholly completely different problem amid excessive expectations.

THE PLAN

Search for the Illini to resort to extra intense, switch-heavy defensive seems to be Underwood deployed earlier than Cockburn arrived to anchor the center.

“We’re nonetheless younger and getting a contemporary begin, too,” Hawkins mentioned. “I haven’t been a part of a crew that switches (defensively) a lot. I feel we’re higher as a result of it’s simpler to change. I feel the most important factor to work on is our communication in these switches.”

On offense, Shannon and Hawkins might be anticipated to be double-figure scorers. Underwood must depend on a few of his youthful abilities to emerge at that finish.

“We’ve obtained guys who can break you down off the dribble,” Underwood mentioned. “I feel we could be a superb capturing crew. So we’ll must determine all of that out. As an alternative of simply lining up and throwing the ball to Kofi, there must be some completely different choices.”

PREDICTIONS

Large Ten media members predicted the Illini to complete second behind No. 13 Indiana in a Large Ten that feels deep, however seemingly lacks nationwide title contenders.

“It’s unbelievable how arduous each venue is to play (in), how good the teaching is, how good the gamers are,” Underwood mentioned. “The league is clearly somewhat bit completely different. We misplaced nice gamers (to the professionals).”

HANDLING HYPE

Shannon, Hawkins and Mayer are used to the eye and scrutiny that accompanies taking part in for a outstanding faculty basketball program.

“The hype that we get, that’s additional,” Shannon mentioned. “We don’t actually pay a lot consideration to it. We simply attempt to push one another arduous day by day.”

However how the younger gamers — with seven underclassmen on scholarships — deal with the hype might be a key think about simply how good the Illini could be.

Underwood pointed to $40 million renovations of the Ubben Basketball Complicated as proof of his program’s ascendency, although he famous that “you’ve obtained to exit and show it on this league” to remain on the high.

Followers have flocked again to Champaign throughout this system’s resurgence, however are craving for a deep NCAA Match run after back-to-back exits within the Spherical of 32.

“We’ve come a good distance,” Underwood mentioned. “And you realize, that doesn’t simply occur as a result of I’m sitting right here. I’m the final cause, to be sincere. It’s nice synergy once you’ve obtained an athletic director supplying you with new amenities, we’re transferring into a brand new observe facility and we are able to promote profitable now.”

LOOKING AHEAD

After the season opener in opposition to Japanese Illinois on Nov. 7, the schedule consists of matchups in opposition to No. 8 UCLA on Nov. 18 and No. 5 Baylor or No. 18 Virginia on Nov. 20. Syracuse (Nov. 29) and No. 12 Texas (Dec. 6) are additionally scheduled to go to the State Farm Heart earlier than Large Ten play begins.