Illinois Basketball: Top 7 transfers the Illini are pursuing

CHAMPAIGN, IL - FEBRUARY 09: Illinois Fighting Illini Head Coach Brad Underwood looks up at the scoreboard to check out a replay during the Big Ten Conference college basketball game between the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Illinois Fighting Illini on February 9, 2019, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.(Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 13: D.J. Carton #3 of the Ohio State Buckeyes looks on during a college basketball game against the Villanova Wildcats at the Value City Arena on November 13, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

1. DJ Carton

There are a lot of great transfers out there on the market, but DJ Carton probably goes down as the biggest fish to catch as of right now.

Coming out of Bettendorf High School in Iowa, Carton was rated as a four-star recruit who was the No. 34 player in the class of 2019 and the No. 4 point guard in the nation. He was also the best player in the state of Iowa.

Carton committed to Ohio State but only spent one season with the Buckeyes. He averaged 10.4 points, 3 assists and 2.8 rebounds in the 20 games he played in Columbus. Carton has decided to move on from the program, though. This is a great opportunity for the Illini to pounce.

About a week ago, the Illini were mentioned as one of the teams who Carton has heard from since announcing he was in the transfer portal. That is the only news coming out of his camp right now. But this means Illinois could be in the running. We also have solid location and playing time.

If Carton comes to Champaign, he would have to sit out a year but then would be eligible for the 2021-2022 campaign. That would be perfect for the Illini. We could fit him into the start role as either a No. 1 or No. 2 guard.

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