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Illinois Basketball: Projected Illini lineup with Brandin Podziemski

By Rees Woodcock

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
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 /
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Illinois basketball
MADISON, WISCONSIN – FEBRUARY 27: Andre Curbelo #5 of the Illinois Fighting Illini dunks the ball in the second half against the Wisconsin Badgers at the Kohl Center on February 27, 2021 in Madison, Wisconsin. (Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images) /

Brad Underwood is coming through for the Illinois basketball team, as they have now added another member to the class of 2021.

On Tuesday afternoon, Brandin Podziemski announced that he has decided to commit to the Illini. This is a huge pick-up for the Orange and Blue and one that changes around the lineup a little bit.

Illinois needed more depth at guard, and that is what Podziemski brings to the table. Our rotations are getting stronger, and that is exciting. So, what does the projected lineup look like now?

Here is the projected Illinois basketball lineup with the commitment of Brandin Podziemski.

No. 1 Guard

Starter: Andre Curbelo

The starter for the Illini at point guard is going to be Andre Curbelo. I have had The Magician starting at the No. 1 spot for every one of the future projected lineups, and nothing is going to change with the addition of Podziemski.

Curbelo is going to help the flow of the Illinois offense. He isn’t just a talented scorer of the basketball, but he can make his teammates better. That is what I love about his game. Curbelo is going to help Podziemski from day one with not only the tangibles like ball handling etc. but also the intangibles like leadership and court presence. The future is so bright with Curbelo at the helm.

Backup: Scholarship #1

Illinois still has two scholarships open as of right now. There are rumors that a player who played for the Illini last season could still come back for his COVID year, but I am not including him right now until he officially posts that he is returning. In the meantime, Illinois needs to use one of their two remaining scholarships on a backup No. 1 guard.

Tyty Washington is still the biggest target here, but he continues to get scholarship offers. Hopefully, Illinois can land Washington and secure the future at the No. 1 guard spot.

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