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Illinois Basketball: 5 options for the Illini in the transfer portal 1.0

By Rees Woodcock

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 20: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini draws a play in the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 20, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA - MARCH 20: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini draws a play in the first half of the game against the Houston Cougars during the second round of the 2022 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at PPG PAINTS Arena on March 20, 2022 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – APRIL 05: Detail view of a Wilson basketball during the National Championship game of the 2021 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament between the Gonzaga Bulldogs and the Baylor Bears at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 05, 2021 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /

4. Alex Tchikou (3 years of eligibility)

  • Reasoning

There are people who look at the transfer portal in a negative way. I think it is a chance for the Illini to go out and potentially pull in a talented player with a ton of untapped potential.

While Illinois hasn’t been rumored to be a part of the recruitment of Alex Tchikou, he is someone I would like Brad Underwood to pursue.

Tchikou is a 6-foot-11, 225-pound forward who played one season at Alabama. The former four-star recruit only played in three games for the Crimson Tide, and his averages are too low to even put in this article. Now he is looking for a new home, and Illinois has the room.

I think pursuing Tchikou is worth a chance. There is clearly potential there or he wouldn’t have been a top 100 recruit and a four-star coming out of high school. Underwood has been good at developing young big men as well. This would be a great chance for Illinois to snag a great player.

  • Where he would play

Obviously, at 6-foot-11, 225-pounds, Tchikou would battle for the No. 5 spot on the team. I think he would have a legit shot to earn the starting job with so much uncertainty at the position as well.

As mentioned in the previous slides, Omar Payne doesn’t seem to be a starting-caliber center. There is a possibility that Dain Dainja becomes the main man, but he is a question mark at this point. Let’s add another question mark and, hopefully, we can get an answer.

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