Illinois Basketball: Andy Katz includes Illini in 2020 NCAA tournament

Andy Katz is at it again, getting my hopes up for the upcoming Illinois basketball campaign.

Truth be told, I didn’t need any help with getting my hopes up. For some reason, this time of year, I have high hopes for both the football and basketball programs. But, this year in particular, those high hopes probably won’t be dashed by midseason.

Katz did an article for NCAA.com that had 20 predictions for the 2020 NCAA tournament. As of late, NCAA tournament and Illinois basketball haven’t exactly gone hand-in-hand. Illinois just came off their sixth-straight season with no chance to win the national title. That isn’t a good feeling.

You don’t have to go very far in the Katz article to find the Illini. They are No. 8 on the 20 predications for the 2020 NCAA tournament. Katz has the Orange and Blue as one of the eight teams who missed the 2019 NCAA tournament but will make the 2020 tournament. Illinois is actually the first on his list, which is exciting.

Katz says in the article that patience will pay off for Illinois fans and that Brad Underwood has this Illini team ready to make a move. It is hard to process what he is saying here because the vast majority of media have just ripped on the program over the last half-decade. To get some good press is refreshing and well-earned.

I would have to agree with Katz on this one. Illinois is poised to make it to the postseason for the first time since John Groce’s first year with the program. We have a lot of talent. Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn were both top 50 recruits. Trent Frazier and Tevian Jones were both in the top 100. And Giorgi Bezhanishvili was, arguably, the most underrated recruit in the history of sports.  I haven’t even mentioned how deep our bench is either.

Illinois is starting to gain some traction with the national media. We were media darlings in the early to mid-2000s. It is time to get that mojo back. It is time to show the world what Illinois basketball is all about.