Illinois Basketball: Optimistic outlook for the 2017-2018 season
Illinois basketball fans around the globe are already anticipating the 2017-2018 campaign.
Led by head coach Brad Underwood, the Illini are expected to make a leap next season. Why wouldn’t they? Underwood drastically improves teams in his first seasons. For example, OK State was 12-20 the year before Underwood, and then he comes in and they go 20-12. What a tremendous improvement that was.
Now, I am not saying that Illinois will win eight more games than last season, but with a great recruiting class coming in, and some solid pieces returning, the Illini have the potential to be very good.
I know this is a little risky, but I am going to include Mark Smith in this scenario. Underwood and company have to get the job done, but it appears Illinois is the favorite. This team could feature a top 5 class with some great coaching to back it up.
Here is my ideal rotation for next season so you can get a feel for what this would look like on paper.
Depth Chart
PG – Trent Frazier, Te’Jon Lucas, Javon Pickett(?)
SG – Jalen Coleman-Lands, Mark Smith, Da’Monte Williams, DJ Williams(?)
SF – Kipper Nichols, DJ Williams, Aaron Jordan, Possibly a transfer
PF – Michael Finke, Leron Black, Kipper Nichols, Jeremiah Tilmon
C – Jeremiah Tilmon, Michael Finke, Leron Black, Possibly a transfer
Now I know my starting five may be a little subjective; Frazier over Lucas?! Crazy, I know. I am a huge fan of Frazier’s game, and I think Underwood may be too. If Mark Smith signs with the Illini, it will be a battle at the two guard position.
I think JCL’s shooting paired with Frazier’s driving ability will give JCL the edge here. Kipper is the obvious choice at the three, and he will thrive in Underwood’s system. He is aggressive and very athletic.
Finke will be the Illinois version of Thomas Walkup from Underwood’s SFA teams. I think he will get a lot of minutes next season and he should thrive in this system.
Underwood has never had a guy like Tilmon before. It should be fun and exciting to see what he does with him next season. Expect to see Finke and Black get some run at the five this year as well. Of course, a transfer could completely change this rotation, but as of now, this is what I like a lot.
Now onto the optimistic win projections for next season. Most Illini fans would love to see this team reach the 20 win mark. I definitely think this is possible. I would expect this team to at least do what happened this season and hit the 18 win mark.
But, since this is the optimistic outlook, I will predict the Illini to win 22 games next season. Also, we never know how these players will develop under a new coach. We have only seen what they can do with John Groce. Take that into account when you think about the 2017-2018 campaign.
Next: Ranking the last 10 recruiting classes