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Illinois Basketball 2018 roster with top in-state recruits

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 28: Fans in the student section hop while cheering on the Illinois Fighting Illini against the Purdue Boilermakers on January 28, 2006 at the Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 28: Fans in the student section hop while cheering on the Illinois Fighting Illini against the Purdue Boilermakers on January 28, 2006 at the Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 28: Fans in the student section hop while cheering on the Illinois Fighting Illini against the Purdue Boilermakers on January 28, 2006 at the Assembly Hall at the University of Illinois in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood has a lot of potential in the recruiting game for 2018.

There are some tremendous players still available and a lot of those guys are in-state recruits. There are five in-state players who share mutual interest in the basketball program as well.

Now I realize Illinois only has three scholarships available for 2018. This roster you are about to go through has two too many players. That will all get sorted out eventually, though.

Here is the Illinois basketball roster with the top in-state targets.

No. 1 Guard

Starter: Te’Jon Lucas

The starting No. 1 guard spot still goes to Te’Jon Lucas until he graduates from Illinois. He earned this spot early last season and he will thrive in 2017 as well. This success will lock up his starting spot on the 2018 team.

Lucas will be looked at as a leader on this Illinois basketball team. He will bring energy to the floor because the Illini haven’t had that in quite some time. The future is bright for this program in part because of what he brings to the floor.

Backup: Trent Frazier

One of the big-time gets in the first year under Underwood is Trent Frazier. While he has the talent to be a starting guard, the Illini will need him to be the sixth man of the year. He has tremendous ability on the basketball court and that will be needed every game.

Illinois hasn’t had depth at the guard position in a very long time. You would have to go back to the title run in 2005 to find the last Illini team to have guard depth like this year’s bunch. The next season will be even better as well. Frazier enables Underwood to do so much with this team and I can’t wait to see how he plays in the Orange and Blue.

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