The Illinois basketball team doesn’t have a good record right now, and I see people saying they are a bad team.
Listen, I agree their record says they aren’t good. But, let’s take a step back and see what we really have right now. Illinois is currently 10-11 overall and 0-8 in the Big Ten. Their shot at making the NCAA tournament is all but over. They need to win out – or at least go 9-1 – to have any shot at dancing come March.
Illinois is on a six-game losing streak as I type this with Indiana the next team up. Hopefully, they can beat the Hoosiers and get back to .500. But, how far off is this team really, though?
Well, Illinois has had three overtime losses and a buzzer beater by Nebraska that sunk my heart. These are the games that could have gone either way for the Illini. So let’s pretend they went the way of the Orange and Blue.
If the three overtime games were won by Illinois and Nebraska missed that three-pointer that would mean four more wins for the Illini. This would adjust their record from 10-11 to 14-7 overall and from 0-8 to 4-4 in Big Ten play. Now doesn’t that look a lot better?
I know, I know, you can’t go back and fix the past so why dwell on it? I only bring this up because Illinois only has two Big Ten caliber starters on the floor right now. The rest of the player’s skill levels right now are backup or below. They are so close to being in the race for the NCAA tournament with not a lot of talent on the team.
Let’s keep in mind how close the Illini are right now with what they have. Heading into next season, Illinois will have a full year under Brad Underwood. They will know his system like the back of their hand. This will help tremendously.
Trent Frazier and Leron Black – the two Big Ten caliber starters – will be back in the starting lineup. Ayo Dosunmu will be added to that lineup to make three Big Ten caliber starters. The No. 5 spot is still a question mark but the team is already going to be improved next season from what we are seeing today. I think the Dosunmu addition would put a tally in the win column for the three overtime games and the buzzer beater.
Illinois’ bench will develop as well. Mark Smith is likely to be a Big Ten caliber starter next season. He will probably be in the No. 2 spot for the Illini. He will give the team four Big Ten caliber starters. That will be a massive improvement.
I am going to assume Greg Eboigbodin starts at the No. 5 next season. He continues to develop every day and is going to be a borderline Big Ten caliber starter next season. At the very least, he will be a better option starting than what Illinois had this season.
Coming off the bench, the Illini will then have Da’Monte Williams who will be a borderline Big Ten caliber starter next season. They will have Te’Jon Lucas and Kipper Nichols who are both premium backup players. Aaron Jordan and Michael Finke will be back and they are both solid backups as well.
I also can’t imagine who Underwood adds from the class of 2018. They aren’t done recruiting and will likely get a grad transfer big man. This would make a big difference.
Next: 5 takeaways from the Illini loss to Michigan State
So, Illini fans, while you are sulking because of the current record just think; Illinois isn’t far from being in the NCAA tournament hunt this season. Just imagine next year when they are exponentially better. The sky is the limit.