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Illinois Basketball: Schnider Herard would alter the Illini lineup immensely

By Rees Woodcock

KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 21: Mississippi State Bulldogs center Schnider Herard (34) is guarded by Tennessee Volunteers forward Grant Williams (2) during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers on January 21, 2017, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Tennessee defeated Mississippi State 91-74. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KNOXVILLE, TN - JANUARY 21: Mississippi State Bulldogs center Schnider Herard (34) is guarded by Tennessee Volunteers forward Grant Williams (2) during a game between the Mississippi State Bulldogs and Tennessee Volunteers on January 21, 2017, at Thompson-Boling Arena in Knoxville, TN. Tennessee defeated Mississippi State 91-74. (Photo by Bryan Lynn/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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It continues to be painfully clear that the Illinois basketball team needs a big man for the future.

Illinois continues to struggle on the board’s night in and night out. Their leading rebounder is Leron Black averaging 5.5 rebounds per game. As a team, they are only averaging 36.9 RPG which ranks No. 110 in the nation.

This frustrating fact upsets me because the Illini have had so many opportunities to land a big man and no one has come through. The previous coaching staff led by John Groce failed to land a truly talented big man until when he finally did, he was fired and that big man departed for another program.

Illinois is now left looking for answers. They struggled again last night with rebounding against Iowa. But, there is a possibility for Brad Underwood to land his own big man. It was announced at the end of December that Mississippi State big man Schnider Herard was transferring from their program.

Herard is now taking his official visits and he was in Champaign last night. He already took a trip to Baylor and will be visiting Maryland next week, according to an article by Evan Daniels of 247Sports. Many had hoped he would enroll during the spring semester and that is still possible, but it continues to get less likely as time goes on. That means he would have to sit out the entire year next season.

If Illinois can land Herard, it would help their program. The lineup would instantly get better. The potential for how good the Illini lineup could be in 2018 – if he enrolls during the spring semester – is exciting.

The No. 1 would be Trent Frazier, No. 2 Da’Monte Williams, No. 3 Ayo Dosunmu, No. 4 Leron Black and No. 5 Greg Eboigbodin. This is how the season would start. Herard would then be eligible to play starting the second semester and he would likely take over the No. 5 spot. He would probably share time with Eboigbodin, though. That is a pretty good lineup considering Herard has 6-foot-10, 260-pound size.

But, if Herard doesn’t enroll this spring, then he is going to have to sit out and wait until 2019. That lineup would be insane for the Illini.

I imagine Frazier would still be around come 2019. He would be the No. 1 for the Illini. No. 2 would likely still be Williams. No. 3 would be Dosunmu. No. 4 would be EJ Liddell. No. 5 would be Francis Okoro. Herard would then be the next man up after Okoro. He would share time with Eboigbodin still, but the Illini depth in the frontcourt would be absolutely insane.

Next: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Iowa

Illinois’ becomes a scary team if they add Herard. Hopefully, they can add him soon and he can enroll for the spring semester. That would benefit the team the most heading into next season.

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