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Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini starting lineup with Adonis De La Rosa

By Rees Woodcock

KENT, OH - JANUARY 30: Kent State Golden Flashes center Adonis De La Rosa (1) celebrates after scoring with a jump shot during the second half of the men's college basketball game between the Buffalo Bulls and Kent State Golden Flashes on January 30, 2018, at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
KENT, OH - JANUARY 30: Kent State Golden Flashes center Adonis De La Rosa (1) celebrates after scoring with a jump shot during the second half of the men's college basketball game between the Buffalo Bulls and Kent State Golden Flashes on January 30, 2018, at the Memorial Athletic and Convocation Center in Kent, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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PISCATAWAY, NJ – FEBRUARY 25: Illinois Fighting Illini forward Kipper Nichols (2) passes during the first half of the College Basketball Game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 25, 2018, at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
PISCATAWAY, NJ – FEBRUARY 25: Illinois Fighting Illini forward Kipper Nichols (2) passes during the first half of the College Basketball Game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 25, 2018, at the Louis Brown Athletic Center in Piscataway, NJ. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

No. 4 Forward

Starter: Kipper Nichols

Illinois is finally starting to develop depth at the No. 4 and No. 5 spots on the team. This is huge for the program. I have Kipper Nichols taking over the No. 4 spot for the Illini this season.

Nichols averaged 10 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season. He had amazing performances that just blew away the fans. I expect his numbers to increase slightly as well. This kid is developing into a Big Ten caliber starter for this Illini team.

Backup: Tevian Jones

The second top 100 recruit the Illini snagged in 2018 was Tevian jones. He is going to come into this Illinois program and be a primary backup behind Nichols.

Jones was a four-star recruit coming out of Culver City High School. He was ranked as the No. 98 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 9 player in the state of California. This was a great get by Underwood and his staff. Don’t be surprised if you see a few starts out of Jones this upcoming season.

Backup: Anthony Higgs

Illinois added some talent over the last few weeks. Anthony Higgs decided to join the program. He is a player who brings depth to the No. 4 spot for the Illini.

Higgs is coming in as a three-star recruit who is the No. 376 player in the class of 2018 and the No. 13 player in the state of Maryland. In my last projected lineup, I had Higgs starting at the No. 5, but since there has been a commitment in the last few days, I have changed that mindset.

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