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Illinois basketball: 2019-20 season wrap-up for Ayo Dosunmu

By Jalen Wilson

COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 05: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celbrates after making a three pointer in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OHIO - MARCH 05: Ayo Dosunmu #11 of the Illinois Fighting Illini celbrates after making a three pointer in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the first half at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /
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Ayo Dosunmu’s 2019-20 season was one of the most memorable seasons for an Illinois basketball player in a long time.

Here is the 2019-20 season wrap-up for Ayo Dosunmu.

Expectations

Before the start of the 2019-20 season, I expected Ayo to have a good year. During his freshman campaign, Ayo averaged 13 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game. He shot  43-percent from the field and 35-percent from three-point range. I thought he would build on this stat line for his sophomore year.

My predicted stat line for Ayo was 15 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds per game. I also had him shooting 45-percent from the field and 37-percent from three-point range. My predictions also had Ayo on the second-team All-Big Ten.

I had Ayo averaging this stat line because he showed great basketball IQ and playmaking ability at times during his freshman season. He also shot well for a player who was questioned about their ability to hit three-point shots consistently.

Reality

Ayo had a great 2019-20 season. He showed great leadership on the court, and that was needed for this team. He was arguably Illinois’ best player this season.

Ayo finished 2019-20 averaging16 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists per game. He shot 48-percent from the field and 29-percent from three-point range. His 2019-20 stat line is similar to what I predicted. He was also able to land on the first-team All-Big Ten squad.

There were some great moments this season thanks to Ayo as well. He made clutch shots against Wisconsin, Michigan, Northwestern and Iowa. He also showed off his scoring ability as he was Illinois’ most consistent player for most of the season. He did a great job of absorbing contact when driving into the lane, and he did a good job of getting to his sweet spots on offense.

The only problem I had with Ayo was early in the season when it seemed like he wasn’t being aggressive on offense. He fixed that later in the year and was a lot more aggressive, which helped the Illini win 21 games this season.

Next. 5 eye-popping improvements for Illini in 2019-2020. dark

Future

I don’t see Ayo staying for his junior year. I predict he will get drafted in the late first round or early second round in the NBA Draft. I think he will have a successful career in the NBA because I can see his game translating well in the NBA. Ayo will leave a big impact on this Illinois basketball program.

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