Illinois Basketball: State of the Illini basketball program

It has been a long season so far for the Illinois basketball team.

Being a fan of a program who has missed four straight NCAA tournament berths and is on the verge of number five is rough. Illinois fans just want to see a winner again, and that was the hope when Josh Whitman hired Brad Underwood to proceed the John Groce era.

Every Illini fan is at a different place with this team. I have heard some fans say they are disappointed with how the team is playing. I have heard some say they are disappointed with the players. There are very few, but they are out there, who say Whitman has done a terrible job and he should go along with his coaching hires.

I wanted to lay out the state of the Illinois basketball team since many fans are confused what is going on right now. Here is how I see the state of the program.

The current Illinois basketball team is not winning games. This is an issue because to be successful, you need to win and beat the opponent. They have been so close so many times this season but haven’t been able to finish.

Illinois is currently 10-10 overall and 0-7 in the Big Ten. They just got beat down by Wisconsin on the road by 25 points. This was the first game this season where Illinois lost by more than 10 points. I think it is clear the present team isn’t good enough to make it to the NCAA tournament and that is the biggest problem.

The main starters for the Illini are usually Trent Frazier, Mark Smith, Mark Alstork, Leron Black and Michael Finke. The problem with this starting lineup is the majority of players are not starter level talent.

Frazier is clearly a Big Ten level starter. He has done wonders since stepping into the starting role for the Illini. Black is the other Big Ten level starter right now. He has really developed nicely in the paint and his shot within 10 feet of the basket is amazing.

Besides for those two players, the other three Illini starters aren’t playing like Big Ten starters right now. Smith is going to be a starter in this league in the near future. He is only a true freshman and should be playing off the bench. There is a learning curve there and he hasn’t had a chance to be eased into playing time. They threw him into the fire and he hasn’t been able to respond effectively. He will get to that level in the near future, though.

Alstork isn’t a starter in the Big Ten. There is a reason this kid was a mid-major player for much of his career. He hasn’t been effective on the offensive end for the Illini, but his defense is above average. He would have been a nice player coming off the bench for the Illini, but he is not a starter.

Finke is the other starter who shouldn’t be starting. I like Finke and have always been on his bandwagon even when others weren’t, but he just isn’t a starter in the Big Ten. He would be another quality piece coming off the bench but thanks to lack of depth at the No. 5, Finke has had to step into a role that is unnatural. If he was coming off the bench, Finke would be a great player to have. But, he has been starting and he isn’t a starter.

Illinois’ bench is a lot weaker than I was thinking it was going to be heading into this season. We saw glimpses of what Kipper Nichols could have been last season, but this year is a different story. He is one of the Illini bench options but hasn’t provided a ton of production. He was the No. 282 player coming out of high school. Illinois can’t compete in the Big Ten with that level of player as a main option off the bench.

Aaron Jordan started the season off hot and has established himself as one of the go-to bench players. But, he is extremely limited on the offensive end of the court. He isn’t a step-in shooter. He needs to find his spot, and this makes him very predictable for opposing defenses. That hurts the Illini offense. He should be a rotation player but someone who is pretty far down on the list of players to bring off the bench.

Frazier became the starter for the Illini and this sent Te’Jon Lucas to the bench. I actually think Lucas is a good player and is in the right spot coming off the bench. He should be one of the first players to come off the bench. But, something happened after Frazier took his spot and he was suspended for a few games and didn’t get to play in the Wisconsin blowout. Illinois needs him moving forward.

I really like Da’Monte Williams’ role on this team as well. He is coming off the bench and has been good for the most part. He has struggled recently but most of that has to do with his lack of scoring. He isn’t a great shooter but needs to drive more. Having Williams come off the bench is what he should be doing. He isn’t a starter right now.

Another player I like having come off the bench is Greg Eboigbodin. He has shown he belongs in the Big Ten and will eventually be a starter for the Illini. He is learning as he continues to get time and easing him into the game is exactly what needs to happen.

The state of the current Illinois basketball team isn’t good. If you step back and look, they are kind of a mess with no fault to the current coaching regime. With the Illini players current state, the team only has two Big Ten level starters on the entire roster. They are starting three other players who should be backups on this team. Illinois’ bench also consists of one player who isn’t a Big Ten caliber player and another who is receiving time but should be pretty far down on the roster. There is a lot of youth with this Illini team as well.

Underwood was left with a roster that can’t compete in an elite conference. He is now picking up the pieces and future recruiting should help the situation. The state of the Illinois basketball’s future has so much potential as well.

Illinois shouldn’t necessarily be focusing on one specific position moving forward. With only two starter level players right now, Underwood needs to be recruiting for every position. He needs to focus on top 100 players with, at worst, landing top 150 players.

Getting Ayo Dosunmu is going to help the team next season, but I don’t know if it makes the Illini an NCAA tournament team. He will only give the program three Big Ten starting players. He will take Alstork’s spot and this will give the Illini Frazier, Dosunmu and Black as quality starters. They need more, though. I have heard they are going after grad transfer big men. These players need to be from power five conference programs.

The class of 2019 is what will tell you if the Illinois basketball team will succeed under Underwood. Without some big-time pieces in this class, I am afraid the streak of missed NCAA tournament’s might continue. I really think this is going to be a home run class, though.

Illinois will need to recruit for every position in 2019. It will be all hands on deck and the quality of Illinois basketball player will rise with this class. Older players will graduate, and top players will come into the program. This is how Illinois will become successful again.

Next: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Wisconsin

The state of the Illinois basketball program doesn’t look good right now, but the potential is there for future success. They need to secure a big man grad transfer for 2018 and they may make the NCAA tournament. Illinois then can secure a great class of 2019. For fans, though, we need to stay strong and take the punches. There will be a time where we can punch back. I promise, We Will Win.