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

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Jun 22, 2017; Brooklyn, NY, USA; OG Anunoby (Indiana) is introduced by NBA commissioner Adam Silver as the number twenty-three overall pick to the Toronto Raptors in the first round of the 2017 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4 OG Anunoby – Indiana Hoosiers

The one game the Illinois basketball team played against the Indiana Hoosiers this past season was ugly. They didn’t compete in this game and were even down by 19 at halftime. The final score ended up being a blowout win by the Hoosiers, 96-80.

After this loss, the Illini fell to 11-5 overall and 1-2 in Big Ten Conference play. They were dominated by a handful of players including OG Anunoby. He was a superstar for this Indiana team and he played well against the Illini. Despite being injured for much of the second half of the season, Anunoby ended up being picked by the Toronto Raptors with the No. 23 pick in the NBA Draft.

Anunoby is going to be a really good NBA player. He would have been drafted higher if he didn’t get injured. His skills really showed against Illinois in that one game as well. He ended up dropping 12 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks in the 31 minutes he played. He also shot an efficient 4-of-6 from the field and 1-of-2 from the three-point line.

The Raptors needed more scoring and athletic help and they got that with Anunoby. He will be a nice piece to their puzzle of getting through the Eastern Conference.

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