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Illinois Basketball: 3 options for the Illini after missing on Bryce Hopkins

By Rees Woodcock

CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 06: General view of Illinois Fighting Illini basketballs seen before the game against the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - DECEMBER 06: General view of Illinois Fighting Illini basketballs seen before the game against the IUPUI Jaguars at State Farm Center on December 6, 2016 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Feb 7, 2020; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The national anthem is preformed prior to the first half before a game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Maryland Terrapins at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Graduate Transfer

Since there aren’t a lot of options, I think the logical route for Brad Underwood and his coaching staff would be to find a graduate transfer toward the end of the season or next offseason.

In the past, I haven’t been a huge fan of graduate transfers because the chemistry element comes into play. It is hard to plug-and-play a player without there being a learning curve.

But Andres Feliz made me a believer that a player could come in and be inserted right away without a hiccup on the roster. With that being said, snagging a graduate transfer this offseason is likely to way to go to round out the class of 2021.

The positions I would be looking to fill from the graduate transfer market would be the No. 3 and No. 4. Heading into 2021, I have Jacob Grandison and Austin Hutcherson in these two starting spots. We wouldn’t have much depth behind them and they would both be seniors.

There is also the possibility Illinois is going to need a No. 5. With Kofi Cockburn departing the program after the upcoming campaign, the Illini are going to be left with very little at the No. 5 spot. There is an option on the recruiting market for the No. 5 spot, but there are no guarantees at this point.

So, while the freshman class of 2021 is starting to dwindle, there is always an option of adding via the graduate transfer route. This would give Illinois experience and the ability to make an impact immediately.

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