Illinois Basketball: Starting lineup with the class of 2018

No. 3 Guard/Forward

Starter: Ayo Dosunmu

This is where the Illinois basketball lineup starts to change. The first class of 2018 recruit to make an appearance on this list is guard, Ayo Dosunmu. He is a tremendous talent from Chicago, Illinois. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is in the top 30 among all recruits in the nation.

Getting Dosunmu is a big task for Underwood and his coaching staff. But, if they can manage to land this game changer, the Illini would be a contender for the Sweet 16 every year. He is that good of a player. The Illini would also have him start at the No. 3 spot as well. He would essentially be the Luther Head of this team moving forward.

Backup: Kipper Nichols

Illinois would create depth with the addition of Dosunmu. He would be starting at the No. 3 spot and behind him would be talented forward, Kipper Nichols. He really came onto the scene strong last season and will see plenty of time in 2017.

Moving into 2018, Nichols will once again be a backup but not because he doesn’t have starting talent. Illinois would just have so much depth and only five players can start at the same time. Nichols would see plenty of minutes, though.

Backup: Talen Horton-Tucker

The next class of 2018 player to make it on the list is Talen Horton-Tucker. He is currently only a three-star recruit who isn’t in the top 100, but he has tremendous talent and continues to rise through the recruiting rankings.

Horton-Tucker still has a high school season coming up. That means he will have a chance to shine even more and don’t be surprised if this kid potentially cracks the top 100 or at least moves into four-star status. He will be a backup for this Illini squad in 2018. Look for him to be in the rotation but the depth will probably hinder his minutes some. He will still see action in every game, though.