Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini starting lineup without Samba Kane

EAST LANSING, MI - FEBRUARY 20: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini gives instructions to his players during a game against the Michigan State Spartans at Breslin Center on February 20, 2018 in East Lansing, Michigan. (Photo by Rey Del Rio/Getty Images) /

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PISCATAWAY, NJ – FEBRUARY 25: Trent Frazier /

No. 1 Guard

Starter: Trent Frazier

The starter at the No. 1 spot will continue to be Trent Frazier as long as he is with the program. This kid had a sensational freshman campaign that saw him come to the brink of winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award. He was beaten out by Jaren Jackson Jr. who is set to go in the NBA Draft Lottery here in a few days.

Frazier will bring the ball up the court and be the leader of the team. He has earned this role after his leadership skills developed last season, and he averaged 12.5 points, 3.1 assists, 1.8 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game. I expect those numbers to increase slightly this year. This will be his team to run. I look forward to seeing him develop even more than he already has.

Backup: Andres Feliz

I still think Brad Underwood snagged a good class of 2018. Getting a player like Andres Feliz is going to pay off big time for this program. He was the No. 11 junior college transfer and the No. 1 point guard in the nation in the class of 2018.

I have Feliz backing up Frazier the entire year. This kid is going to come off the bench, and the Illini won’t miss a beat when he is in there. I am excited to see what he can bring to the team.

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