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Illinois Basketball: 5 biggest storylines for the Illini in 2019

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 14: The Illinois Fighting Illini huddle up before the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs at State Farm Center on December 14, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, ILLINOIS - DECEMBER 14: The Illinois Fighting Illini huddle up before the game against the Old Dominion Monarchs at State Farm Center on December 14, 2019 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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CHAMPAIGN, IL – DECEMBER 11: The Illinois bench reacts during a college basketball game between the Michigan Wolverines and Illinois Fighting Illini on December 11, 2019 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2019 has been one of the most up-and-down years in the history of the Illinois basketball team.

The season prior was a bit of a disappointment with the Illini only winning 12 games total. That is right, 12 games. But we returned a lot of talent from that team this season. This talent as a chance to develop even more chemistry thanks to them playing together for a couple of years now.

We have seen the continued development of some underrated players throughout 2019 too. The end of the 2018-2019 campaign was interesting to watch as Giorgi Bezhanishvili was still showing the world he deserved better than a sub-350 recruiting ranking. This kid was sensational as a true freshman and will continue to develop.

Illinois has also dealt with some issues over 2019. It hasn’t been all peaches and crème. Just about a week ago, the Illini dropped their game against Missouri. This was the second year in a row we have failed to beat the Tigers. This was one of the bad storylines we have dealt with in 2019, among others.

There are a handful of storylines that really pop out to me, though. These storylines have affected the team in one way or another.

Here are the five biggest storylines for the Illini in 2019.

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