What the Illinois basketball team will look like in 2019

The Illinois basketball team is going to be good for the next few seasons.

But, when 2019 rolls around, this team is going to look completely different than it will this season or even in 2018. Illinois will only have two members of the team from last season playing minutes in 2019 and those two players are Te’Jon Lucas and Kipper Nichols.

The rest of the team in 2019 consists of 11 scholarship players who haven’t played a single minute in the Orange and Blue. That is an interesting thing to think about and it makes me excited for the future.

Underwood did bring in a good class of 2017, though. These players will take some of the starting roles on the team or will play key minutes throughout the 2019 season. Illinois could also pull in a solid class of 2018 as well.

The class of 2018 could consist of some great guard talent who will give depth to the guard position. This will help with Underwood’s rotations and will free him up to do different things to the lineup. Look for some 2018 players to start or contribute big-time minutes as well.

Illinois is eyeing a few big-time recruits for 2019 to help the program too. These recruits have size and will solidify the No. 4 and No. 5 spots on the team. Look for some of these players to make an impact on the Illini year one.

Here is how the Illini lineup could look in 2019.