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Illinois Basketball: The good, the bad, and the expectations for Andre Curbelo

By Rees Woodcock

Feb 16, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) celebrates after his team scores against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 16, 2021; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andre Curbelo (5) celebrates after his team scores against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at the State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports /
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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – MARCH 21: Andre Curbelo (5) of the Illinois Fighting Illini brings the ball up the court in the game against the Loyola-Chicago Ramblers during the first half in the NCAA Basketball Tournament second round at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on March 21, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images) /

Expectations

Andre Curbelo is now the main man at the No. 1 guard spot for the Illinois basketball team. He will have the ball in his hands more than anyone on the court. Naturally, there will be more expectations on his shoulders.

Curbelo’s minutes are going to increase. I would venture to say he is around 31 minutes per game this season. If you crunch the numbers, Curbelo should end up averaging 13.1 points, 6.1 assists, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game as a sophomore.

While those numbers are what I am expecting out of Curbelo, I think his intangibles are going to be invaluable. I am expecting Curbelo to be, in a way, like Giorgi Bezhanishvili this season. He needs to be that guy who brings the energy and rallies the team, especially when they are down.

I don’t just want a sensational player on the court, I want a sensational leader. Honestly, though, I don’t have to worry about that with Curbelo. I believe, as a freshman, he already proved that he can be a sensational leader.

Next. The good, the bad, and the expectations for Kofi Cockburn. dark

I will never forget the times an Illini player was having a bad game, and Curbelo would go up to that individual and have a talk with them. He would help the player get through the rough patch and give him some motivational words. As a true freshman, Curbelo was already a leader on this team. That is the most impressive thing he brings to the table.

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