Illinois Basketball: 4 options to replace Jeremiah Tilmon

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Jan 4, 2017; Austin, TX, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Brad Underwood reacts and breaks a clipboard against the Texas Longhorns during the second half at the Frank Erwin Center. The Longhorns won 82-79. Mandatory Credit: Brendan Maloney-USA TODAY Sports /

The Illinois basketball team received some terrible news yesterday with Jeremiah Tilmon announcing he was going to ask for a release from his National Letter of Intent.

This is a move that many fans expected about a month ago when John Groce was fired, but it didn’t happen until yesterday. It also came as a surprise considering he retweeted a tweet from almost a year ago saying he is committed to Illinois.

But, Tilmon is now going to likely go elsewhere despite him saying Illinois was still in consideration. This will leave a big hole in the paint for the Illini that needs to be filled.

The Illini still have a decent class coming in, though. They have a top 100 point guard in Trent Frazier who will be amazing for the team this season.

Illinois also has Da’Monte Williams coming in who should be a top 100 player. He will be a great asset for the next four years. And then they have Javon Pickett coming in who is a wildcard and could stun people with his abilities.

The class of 2017 is still pretty good, but Illinois still needs another big man to really be a contender in the NCAA tournament.

Here are four options for the Illini to replace Jeremiah Tilmon.

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