With recruiting winding down for the 2024-25 season, the Illinois basketball team has emerged as a new squad.
This isn’t an exaggeration either. Losing all but two scholarship players from an Elite 8 squad just months ago is something that isn’t seen often. The Illini were essentially gutted.
Despite the massive departures, Brad Underwood and his newly assembled, but familiar, coaching staff went to work shaping what we are going to be watching this winter.
Piece by piece, the roster came together. Landing a big-time transfer portal guard in Kylan Boswell gave the backcourt strength. This addition, among others, was bookended by two legendary frontcourt players in Morez Johnson Jr. and Will Riley.
With so many new bodies on the roster and having not seen them play together fully, there is one thing I can say about this team confidently.
Underwood has the deepest roster since becoming the Illinois basketball head coach.
That is not hyperbole. As I look at the roster, I sit here and think, wow, this could be a really special team. The second rotation could compete for the top of the Big Ten. That is how impressive I believe Illinois will be this season.
From top to bottom, Illinois basketball will send weapon after weapon at opponents in 2024-25
Underwood has always traditionally played a lot of players each season. He is someone who believes in fresh legs and bodies, as his style is to run up and down the court and score in transition.
In all but one season out of the seven Underwood has coached at Illinois, he has played eight players an average of 10 minutes per game. The only outlier is the 2018-19 campaign when he only had seven players averaging at least 10 minutes per game.
Last season, Illinois had nine players hit this mark. The year before, in 2022-23, 10 players averaged at least 10 minutes per game.
How many players will average at least 10 minutes per game for the Illini in 2024-25? Well, I believe that number could be the highest we have ever seen.
When I look at the roster, I can legitimately see 11 players getting at least 10 minutes per game. That seems like a big number, right? But who would Underwood not give minutes to this season?
Let’s break down the roster.
Ben Humrichous isn’t getting fewer than 10 minutes per game. He wouldn’t transfer in if he was going to ride the pine. Ty Rodgers started every game last season. He won’t get less than 10 minutes on the court each night.
Boswell is a big minute’s getter, as he is one of our stars. Tre White averaged 28.8 minutes per game in his first two seasons in college. He isn’t going to take a diminished role.
Carey Booth averaged 19.9 minutes as a freshman, so he isn’t going to take less than 10 minutes at Illinois. Morez Johnson Jr. is my projected starter, and he was a monster recruit. He is going to get more than 10 minutes each night.
Illinois has Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley also coming into the program. Both players are projected first-round NBA Draft picks. There is no way under the sun they see fewer than 10 minutes per game.
So, that is eight players right there who will easily see over 10 minutes per game. Who is left? Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, Jake Davis, and Tomislav Ivisic. These would be the three main candidates to average fewer than 10 minutes each night.
Gibbs-Lawhorn got 7.1 minutes per game last season. He could have easily transferred, but he stayed at Illinois. I see him getting to a little over 10 minutes per game.
Davis averaged 28.6 minutes per game as a freshman, but he will be coming off the bench at Illinois. While he won’t see the same number of minutes, I have a hard time seeing him getting fewer than 10 minutes each night.
The wildcard is Ivisic. He is a 7-foot-1 big man who is going to spell minutes at the No. 5 spot. I see him playing around 10 minutes per game.
When you lay it all out, you can legitimately see 11 players getting at least 10 minutes per game in 2024-25. That is something I don’t think I have ever seen before.
Underwood has gone deep on his bench some seasons, but Illinois fans should be prepared to see the deepest team of his era, and honestly, maybe of all time.