It’s (almost) the most wonderful time of the year: college basketball season. We are just weeks away from the season tipping off on November 6th. In March, we had one of the craziest (and arguably most exciting) NCAA Tournaments in recent memory. There has been a lot of change since then, as is the norm in today’s day and age. But this is still shaping up to be a great season.
For the third straight year, I will be going through and previewing each of my preseason top 25 teams, starting from the bottom and going up to the top.
First up is the Illinois Fighting Illini. They lost multiple guards to the transfer portal but brought in several transfers to replace them. Most importantly, they get their two best players back.
Preseason College Basketball Rankings: #25 Illinois Fighting Illini
Getting back Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins was huge for Illinois. After transferring in from Texas Tech, Shannon had his best collegiate season yet last year. He averaged career-highs across the board, leading the team in scoring and steals and was second in assists. He is as good as any player in the Big Ten. Hawkins led the team in rebounding and assists a year ago. He shined after finally getting a prominent role with the team. Dain Dainja also returns to anchor the post.
Brad Underwood brought in a really impressive group of transfers. All three of them are super seniors and, with that, have a lot of experience. Marcus Domask was a four-year starter at Southern Illinois. He was a three-time All-MVC selection and averaged just under 17 points and 6 rebounds per game last season for the Salukis. Justin Harmon led the 28-win Utah Valley Wolverines in scoring a year ago. Quincy Guerrier is now in his third school and is poised for a bounce-back year after struggling a little last season at Oregon.
Someone on this team will have to step up at point guard. Ty Rodgers will probably be the starter there to begin the season. He is not a traditional point guard at all, but he played well late last season. Niccolo Moretti is a freshman from Australia. He enrolled in January, so he has worked with the team a lot. He could be primed to take over if Rodgers struggles. Sophomore Sencire Harris should also have a role.
Projected Lineup
PF/C – Dain Dainja (9.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.8 SPG, 1.2 BPG)
PF – Coleman Hawkins (9.9 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 3.0 APG, 1.1 SPG, 1.2 BPG)
SF – Marcus Domask (16.7 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.0 SPG, 0.4 BPG at Southern Illinois)
SG – Terrence Shannon Jr. (17.2 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 2.8 APG, 1.3 SPG, 0.5 BPG)
PG – Ty Rodgers (3.3 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 1.0 APG, 0.7 SPG, 0.2 BPG)
