Illinois Basketball: Top 5 most important players for the Illini

4 of 6

CHAMPAIGN, IL – JANUARY 30: Illinois Fighting Illini Forward Greg Eboigbodin (11) boxes out Rutgers Scarlet Knights Forward Matt Bullock (13) as Rutgers Scarlet Knights Guard Geo Baker (0) shoots a free throw during 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) /

3. Greg Eboigbodin

The Illinois basketball team needed to snag a big man or two who will be a surefire starter at the No. 5 spot. That didn’t happen, though. They did pick up a couple nice pieces from the class of 2018, but I think the starter heading into next season is going to be Greg Eboigbodin. That is why he is one of the top five most important players.

Eboigbodin is a 6-foot-9, 225-pound athletic beast who can dominate on the court at times. But, there were way too many times last season where he looked lost on the court and this would lead to foul trouble and big mistakes.

Last season, Eboigbodin finished the year averaging 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game in only 10.6 minutes of action. He also managed to average 2.1 fouls per game as well. Just getting the fouls per game lowered as he sees more minutes on the court would be a big accomplishment.

There is no doubt Eboigbodin needs to stay on the floor. He also needs to get a better handle on the game plan as well. Like I said earlier, he looked lost a lot last season. But, he is going to be used quite a bit this year. His development will determine if Illinois gets hammered in the lane or if they find some success.

Home/Illinois Basketball