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Illinois Basketball: 5 players to watch from the updated 2022 ESPN 60

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 11: A basketball rolls off the court during a timeout in the Big Ten Conference game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 11, 2017, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - JANUARY 11: A basketball rolls off the court during a timeout in the Big Ten Conference game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Illinois Fighting Illini on January 11, 2017, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Allio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OHIO – MARCH 05: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini talks to his team during a time out in the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Value City Arena on March 05, 2020 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

The class of 2021 is far from being over, but the Illinois basketball team has started to make their push for recruits from the class of 2022.

2022 is going to bring college basketball, and maybe the G-League, some amazing players. ESPN has updated its recent recruiting rankings for this class. The 2022 ESPN 60 features a variety of talented players led by the No. 1 player in the class, Emoni Bates.

Bates has widely been considered the best player in the class. He was featured in different publications and is one of the best players to come out of high school since LeBron James. It wouldn’t shock me to see the kid head to the G-League straight out of high school, though.

The class of 2022 isn’t just Bates, though. The talent is deep in this class, and the Illinois basketball team is trying to build for the future. They need to snag, at least, a top 20 class for 2022 to continue to compete on a national level.

ESPN only has their top 60 out right now, but there are a handful of players Illinois has their eye on. But who are the main targets for the Orange and Blue?

Here are five players to watch from the updated 2022 ESPN 60.

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