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Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini lineup after losing Giorgi Bezhanishvili

By Rees Woodcock

Mar 14, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili (15) reacts to the crowd during a stop in play against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 14, 2021; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Giorgi Bezhanishvili (15) reacts to the crowd during a stop in play against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the second half at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /
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Illinois basketball
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 12: Andre Curbelo #5 of the Illinois Fighting Illini reacts in the second half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights during the Big Ten men’s basketball tournament quarterfinal game at Lucas Oil Stadium on March 12, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

The Illinois basketball lineup took a hit on Thursday night when Giorgi Bezhanishvili announced he was going to take his talents to the professional ranks.

Losing Giorgi means the Illini are losing depth in the frontcourt. We needed someone like Giorgi with his experience and ability to put the ball in the hoop. Now the lineup has to be adjusted to fill in the gap that is left by the talented big man.

Here is the projected Illinois basketball lineup after losing Giorgi Bezhanishvili.

No. 1 Guard

Starter: Andre Curbelo

Exactly as I slotted him in the projected lineup with the addition of Omar Payne, I have Andre Curbelo leading the way for the Illini at the No. 1 guard spot. He was a great backup to Ayo Dosunmu this past season, so there is zero reason why he shouldn’t be the man when it comes to bringing the ball up the court.

The most exciting part about Curbelo’s game isn’t the numbers he puts up. Honestly, I love the fact the magician makes other players around him better. Curbelo is able to penetrate the opposing defense, which causes them to scramble and collapse. This enables Curbelo to have multiple options with the ball. The majority of the time, he makes the right decision. His decision-making will continue to get better with more reps and time too.

Backup: Scholarship #1

One of the now three open scholarships needs to go to a backup point guard for Curbelo. We don’t have a single soul on our team who is a skilled ball handler. The main option is Tyty Washington. A four-star recruit and top 30 talent, Washington hasn’t made a decision yet after backing away from Creighton. Landing Washington would give the Illini so much talent in the backcourt. Jaylen Blakes is another option for the Illini. Keep an eye out to see what Illinois does this offseason to fix the backup No. 1 guard role.

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