Writing Illini
Fansided

Illinois Basketball: Illini projected starting lineup for next season

By Rees Woodcock

NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood prior to the Big Ten Super Saturday College Basketball game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 26, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - JANUARY 26: Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood prior to the Big Ten Super Saturday College Basketball game between the Maryland Terrapins and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 26, 2019 at Madison Square Garden in New York, NY. (Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – FEBRUARY 27: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini brings the ball up court during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on February 27, 2019 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – FEBRUARY 27: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini brings the ball up court during the game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena on February 27, 2019 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /

No. 1 Guard

Starter – Ayo Dosunmu (SO.)

Obviously, this is all contingent on if Ayo Dosunmu returns for his sophomore season. But, if he does, he will be the starting No. 1 for the Illini next year.

Dosunmu had a great freshman campaign despite the bad record. He finished the regular season averaging 14.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.3 steals per game. There were only eight games where he didn’t score double-digit points as well and most of those came at the beginning of the season. He shot 43.7-percent from the field and 36.3-percent from three-point range. This kid is a special talent.

Backup – Andres Feliz (SR.)

The backup to Dosunmu entering next season should be senior Andres Feliz. He came into the Illinois program this year and stabilized the bench in ways I couldn’t have imagined.

Feliz finished the regular season averaging 8.5 points (2nd on the team), 2.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists (3rd on the team) per game. His presence off the bench really gave the Illini an edge against their opponents. I can’t wait to have him back for his senior year. He will be a great player to have off the bench again and is someone Illini fans can rely on to get the job done.

Home/Illinois Basketball