Illinois Basketball: Takeaways from the Illini loss to New Mexico State

3. The Illinois freshmen are sensational

I couldn’t tell you the last time I was this excited about Illinois freshmen. I know the class that brought in Meyers Leonard, Crandall Head and Jereme Richmond was supposed to be special but Bruce Weber and bad decisions really messed that one up.

This class, though, is going to be something special for this Illinois basketball team. You can already see how great Frazier is going to be. He can do a lot on the court and is a serious scoring threat.

There are times where I question some of his decision making – like driving the ball three times in a row and putting up bad shots – but I really like his aggression and confidence. He will be a huge asset moving forward.

Mark Smith still has some work to do on his game, but he is an all-around player like Da’Monte Williams. Both of these true freshmen do whatever it takes to help the team get a win. They can pass, steal, rebound and score. Shoot, Smith even had two blocks last night for the Illini. I can’t wait to see how they continue to develop in what is likely to be a development season.

Greg Eboigbodin even saw some action last night. He only played four minutes but in that time, he pulled down two rebounds. Just imagine how he is going to continue to develop. He will be a rebounding machine in the next year or two.

Illinois has a lot to look forward to moving forward. Hopefully, these young players continue to develop, and the Illini can add Flo Thamba to the class of 2018 to help the paint situation. This Illini team is going to be special soon Illini fans.