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Illinois basketball projected lineup with class of 2018

By Rees Woodcock

MORGANTOWN, WV - FEBRUARY 04: Brad Underwood of Oklahoma State Cowboys yells at the referee against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum on February 4, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
MORGANTOWN, WV - FEBRUARY 04: Brad Underwood of Oklahoma State Cowboys yells at the referee against the West Virginia Mountaineers at the WVU Coliseum on February 4, 2017 in Morgantown, West Virginia. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 11: A basketball hoop, net and backboard are shown before the championship game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament between the Arizona Wildcats and the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona won 83-80. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NV – MARCH 11: A basketball hoop, net and backboard are shown before the championship game of the Pac-12 Basketball Tournament between the Arizona Wildcats and the Oregon Ducks at T-Mobile Arena on March 11, 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Arizona won 83-80. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /

No. 1 Guard

Starting: Te’Jon Lucas

The starter at the No. 1 guard for the 2018-19 season is going to be Te’Jon Lucas. He was a sensational freshman player under a coaching regime who couldn’t coach. Now he is going to be a great player under Underwood’s system of a fast pace offense and scoring at a high clip.

Lucas is going to be a junior when the 2018-19 season rolls around. That means he will have two years under his belt and, hopefully, an NCAA tournament appearance as well. He will be the unquestionable leader on this basketball team and someone Underwood can lean on in tough spots.

Backup: Trent Frazier

Trent Frazier is coming into this Illinois program from the class of 2017. He is a 6-foot-1, 170-pound guard from Wellington High School in Wellington, Florida. He is rated as a four-star recruit who is the No. 85 player in the class of 2017 and the No. 21 point guard in the nation.

Frazier is going to be an important piece in the Illini success this season. Last year, Lucas didn’t have much in the way of a Robin to his Batman. While Tracy Abrams was good, there was only so much you could ask him to do because of the injuries from the previous two seasons. Now Lucas will have a great backup to spell minutes for multiple positions in Frazier.

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