Illinois Basketball: 5 NBA Draft 1st round picks the Illini faced last season

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Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Dennis Smith, Jr. (NC State) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number nine overall pick to the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 2 Dennis Smith Jr. – North Carolina State

Following the loss to the Florida State Seminoles, the next game for the Illini was against the North Carolina State Wolfpack. This was a game that no one was quite sure how it would turn out. The Wolfpack were 5-1 at the time and things were looking up for them.

Illinois started this game off solid but ended up being down one point at halftime. The tides turned in the second half, though, and the Illini came out hot. They dropped 56 points in the second half to come away with an 88-74 victory over North Carolina State.

For the Wolfpack, they had superstar guard, Dennis Smith Jr. He was a sensational player in college and that is why he ended up getting selected into the NBA last night. He was picked by the Dallas Mavericks with the No. 9 pick in the NBA Draft. This will be a good landing spot for Smith because they need more point guard help.

Despite being a lottery pick in the NBA, Smith struggled against the Illini. He only finished the game with 12 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. The Illini also held him to 4 turnovers on the night and 4-of-11 from the field. Illinois dominated this game in every aspect.

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