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Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini roster for 2020 season

By Rees Woodcock

KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 09: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Oklahoma State Cowboys reacts from the bench during the quarterfinal game of the Big 12 Basketball Tournament against the Iowa State Cyclones at the Sprint Center on March 9, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - MARCH 09: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Oklahoma State Cowboys reacts from the bench during the quarterfinal game of the Big 12 Basketball Tournament against the Iowa State Cyclones at the Sprint Center on March 9, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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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) /

No. 5 Center/Forward

Starter: Francis Okoro

The prized recruit from the class of 2019 was big man Francis Okoro. He is a 6-foot-9, 225-pound power forward who was rated as a four-star recruit. He was also ranked as the No. 27 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 1 player in the state of Illinois.

Illinois needed a true big man in the paint and they received that with Okoro. He was a great player year one with the program and was on the Big Ten All-Freshman team. He is projected as the best big man in the Big Ten year two and a potential All-American candidate. Illinois finds great success with Okoro as they make a run deep into the NCAA tournament.

Backup: Drew Timme

The main backup to Okoro in 2020 is also going to be from the same class. Drew Timme needs a good home and Illinois is a perfect fit. He will be a really good backup center as he was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 71 player in the nation.

Timme was recruited by Underwood since his days at Oklahoma State. This relationship continued at Illinois and he was looked at as one of the most important big men.

Backup: Matic Vesel

Matic Vesel will continue being a backup center for the Illini. He made some starts early on in his career but since Underwood has brought in more talent, Vesel has been relegated to the bench. He helps create depth for the program in the paint.

Next: Blue bloods starting in on Francis Okoro

Backup: Greg Eboigbodin

Illinois has a lot of depth at center in 2020. This will be the final year for Greg Eboigbodin. He has been a solid backup for this program for years and will continue being a solid backup during his senior campaign.

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