4 days Ago
Brad Underwood and Illinois made their season debut in the AP Top 25 on Monday. Three games, three double-digit-point wins. With the competition about to go up a few notches starting with Wednesday’s date with No.
8 Alabama in Birmingham, we asked a handful of college basketball experts for their first impressions of the new-look, newly ranked Illini. Mike DeCourcy “It’s awfully early to make any substantial judgments about this edition of Brad Underwood’s Illini, but last season taught me to respect the coach’s perspective about his teams. “We had a nice conversation at the Big Ten Media Day in October 2023 about what might become of the 2023-24 Illini, and he right away said the vibe around the program was completely different than the year before.
“OK, he didn’t use the word ‘vibe,’ but it was obvious he believed in last season’s Illini, and look what happened: Big Ten Tournament champs, NCAA Elite Eight and possibly a Final Four if they’re not in the same region as a dynastic UConn team. “Brad told me at this year’s Media Day gathering in Rosemont that he likes this team, too. Now, it’s obviously less experienced than last year’s, but it also is more purely talented.
“What last year’s Illini did not have was as much obvious NBA first-round talent. As amazing as Terrence Shannon was, he was in his fifth college season. The guys who make a huge difference to what is possible for a basketball team are those who get to the pros on schedule.
They open the door to the possibility of winning it all. It doesn’t guarantee success, but you’re not winning a national title without them. “Will Riley is for sure that kid of player, and Kasparas Jakucionis is rated even higher.
“The Illini still have to sort out what exactly they want their offense to be — who should be shooting from deep and how often, what are the priorities beyond Riley? — but this is the most purely talented Illinois team in some time. It should be a lot of fun to see how it develops.” T.
J. Wheeler “I really like this team. We have true point guards, shooters, bigs that can post up or pop.
“Plus, this has to be Brad’s most talented team he has had. He can go deep in his bench and they produce. “I would hope there are big expectations for this team.
” Casey Jacobsen “Illinois has been really fun to watch, albeit against weaker competition. This season has already shown to be one of the better freshman classes in at least five years and Illinois has two on the list. “I thought that Rutgers’ duo of Dylan Harper and Ace Bailey were going to be the best 1-2 freshman punch in the country but Bailey has been hurt, so Duke’s (Cooper) Flagg and (Kon) Knueppel have surprisingly slid into that spot.
“Jakucionis and Riley are at number 2, though. Throw in (Tomislav) Ivisic and Illinois should be saving a lot of tickets each home game for NBA GMs. “Freshman potential is really fun to talk about and to watch, but it doesn’t lead to successful college basketball seasons.
Illinois should be in the upper half of the gigantic Big Ten, but will they be a legit threat to win the conference or advance past the first weekend of the NCAA tournament? “These days, awesome freshman don’t stick around, so they need to get all they can out of this group now.” Mike LaTulip “What has stuck out the most about this new group through the first few games is their cohesiveness. They still have a ways to go but it’s incredibly rare to capture that this early on.
“It starts with having a point guard that can set the table and get everyone organized — Kasparas has done a great job of that. The challenge will be how they manage the highs and lows of the season and whether or not they can all think big picture and continue to be bought in. “If they do that, they have a chance to match or exceed the success of last year’s team.
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