Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini roster with two scholarships remaining

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CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 22: Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleaders perform during the game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Michigan State Spartans on January 22, 2018 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

The Illinois basketball team has gone through some turmoil the last few weeks.

Not only has one of their young guys from the class of 2017 transferred out of the program, but their best overall player from last year has declared for the NBA. Losing both Mark Smith and Leron Black hurt this team in different ways.

Smith had a bad freshman campaign, but he was just a freshman and there were signs of life throughout the season. He has a bright future but it won’t be with the Illini. He would have been a solid primary backup heading into next season. Now Illinois is hurting for depth.

Black was the best player on the Illini team last season. He was going to be the starting No. 4 again this year but decided to take his talents to the NBA. This hurt Illinois for obvious reasons which include his point production, size and overall talent on the court. He will be missed dearly.

But, life goes on and Illinois is adding some new talent to the team from the class of 2018. They have some solid players coming into the program who should help immediately. While there are a few holes I would like the Illini coaching staff to fix with their final two scholarships, I still think the team should be competitive.

Here is the Illini starting rotation with two scholarships remaining.

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