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Illinois Basketball: Illini target Jeremy Fears gets Crystal Ball Prediction

By Rees Woodcock

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 19: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on against the Drexel Dragons in the second half of the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 19, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - MARCH 19: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini looks on against the Drexel Dragons in the second half of the first round game of the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at Indiana Farmers Coliseum on March 19, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /
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Coming off a big win over Notre Dame on Monday night, the Illinois basketball team might be one step closer to landing one of the biggest recruits for 2023.

The 2022 class for the Illini is probably closed up with three commitments and a national recruiting ranking of No. 18. This is a great class and one that would help build the foundation for the Orange and Blue.

Illinois also has Morez Johnson committed for 2024. He is going to be a top 100 recruit when the full rankings come out. But sandwiched in between the 2022 and 2024 classes is the 2023 class. There has yet to be a recruit pledge to the Illini for 2023.

That might be coming to an end sometime in the near future, though. 2023 point guard Jeremy Fears has picked up a Crystal Ball Prediction on Monday night. That prediction was from Derek Piper of the Illini Inquirer. He has Fears heading to Illinois with a confidence of seven out of 10.

Landing Fears would be huge for the Illinois basketball program.

Illinois has been in the running for Fears for quite some time. It all started with the Illini offering Fears a scholarship back on August 7, 2020. Since then, Illinois’ coaching staff has been recruiting the talented point guard, and for a good reason. He is one of the best players for the 2023 class.

Fear is a 6-foot-1, 165-pound point guard from La Lumiere School and resides in La Porte, Indiana. He is rated as a four-star recruit and ranked as the No. 26 player in the class of 2023. He is also the No. 5 point guard in the nation and the best player coming out of Indiana.

When the Illini matched up against Notre Dame on Monday, Fears made the short trip down to Champaign to be in attendance. While he was watching Illinois win by double-digits over the Fighting Irish, the Orange Krush started changing “We want Jeremy”.

The love is there from the fans, and now it seems like the love could be reciprocated soon in the form of a commitment. Piper has a seven out of 10 that Fears will pick the Illini, which is a strong number.

This would be a huge commitment for the Illini. Fears would be the point guard this program needs to be competitive moving forward.

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