Illinois Basketball: Starting lineup with the projected class of 2018

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – FEBRUARY 13: Illinois Fighting Illini fans cheer during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Assembly Hall on February 13, 2011 in Champaign, Illinois. Purdue defeated Illinois 81-70. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

The class of 2018 becomes more important by the day for the Illinois basketball team. Land a great group of players for this class and the rest is clear sailing.

Brad Underwood has done a great job in the short amount of time he has been the head coach of this great program. He immediately signed a coaching staff that hit the ground running with recruiting. They have cast a wide but specific net over a group of recruits for 2018 that have a chance to be one of the best in program history.

The strong recruiting presence Underwood brought to the table also helped retain Da’Monte Williams and Trent Frazier, and he brought in Mark Smith and two big men in Greg Eboigbodin and Matic Vesel. This class of 2017 is going to be the foundation for future Illini success.

With all the speculation about who will end up signing for the class of 2018, it is fun to think about how good this team really could be. There are only so many spots available but I think we are coming closer to finalizing a great class and building this team into a Big Ten and national championship contender.

Here is how the team could look when the 2018 season rolls around.

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