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Illinois Basketball: When will the Illini return to the NCAA tournament

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 30: The Lou Henson signature is seen on the court before the start of the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 30, 2018, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 30: The Lou Henson signature is seen on the court before the start of the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 30, 2018, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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Illinois basketball fans had to watch another NCAA tournament go by without their beloved Illini being a participant.

This is a depressing feeling as a fan because I want to see Illinois succeed. In fact, I didn’t watch a single second of the title game this year because of the depression of the Illini not making the tournament, the sadness of my bracket being busted and the exhaustion from too many cheesy one-liners brought to you by Jim Nantz.

There will be a time in the future where Illinois gets back to the NCAA tournament. But, the big question remains; when will that time come?

Well, the answer really all depends on recruiting in my eyes. That seems like the simple answer but it is true in every form. Let’s take a look at the title game on Monday night.

These teams made it to the national title on hard work and coaching, but they also had supreme talent. Yes, there are outliers like Loyola-Chicago but for the most part, talent wins and experienced talent wins even more.

Michigan was the least talented team out of the two. They still had four four-star players starting for them and they had one coming off the bench as well. The only two players who weren’t four-star athletes were Muhammad-Ali Abdur-Rahkman who was a two-star and Duncan Robinson who was a DIII transfer I believe.

And then you get to Villanova. This team was load this year. They had two five-star players starting along with three other four-star players. Their bench also consisted of Donte DiVincenzo who was a four-star and won the most outstanding player in the Final Four this year. They also had a three-star on the bench as well.

The talent on these two teams outweighs what we had on the Illinois basketball roster this past season. But, when will the Illini get back to the NCAA tournament? Honestly, this upcoming season is a coin flip. The team lost Leron Black, and his departure is going to really hurt. A trip to the postseason will depend on if Brad Underwood can land a solid No. 4 who can play right away. If he does, then I think the Illini break their bad streak of missing the NCAA tournament.

If Underwood can’t land a solid No. 4 to take over for Black, then I think there is a possibility the Illini miss the postseason once again. That means the class of 2019 is going to have to live up to the potential that we all see. The main target is Francis Okoro.

Okoro solves the paint issues for the Illini. If Underwood can land him, then I think Illinois has a really good chance of not only making the NCAA tournament in 2019 but potentially making a deep run. A trip to the Sweet 16 would not be out of the question. He would be in the starting lineup with Ayo Dosunmu and Trent Frazier. Illinois could also add a few more players to that class as well.

Next: Illini top 5 offensive recruits left for 2019

Success is really dictated by recruiting. The next two classes will determine if Illinois makes it back to the NCAA tournament in the next two years. I have full faith in what Underwood is doing, but it will be interesting to see if he lands a No. 4 for this upcoming season.

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