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Projected Illinois basketball lineup after Niccolo Moretti enters the transfer portal

The transfer portal struck again with Niccolo Moretti departing. This departure now changes the Illinois basketball lineup.

By Rees Woodcock

Illinois v Wisconsin
Illinois v Wisconsin / John Fisher/GettyImages
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No. 4 Forward

Starter: Ty Rodgers (JR)

I believe there are some big-time transfer portal players who could come into the program and enable Ty Rodgers to move back to the backcourt. But, for now, I have him starting at the No. 4 spot heading into next season.

Rodgers is the second of two holdovers from the Elite 8 roster. He averaged 6.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per game as a sophomore. Rodgers was starting to get the hang of the point guard role. His specialty on the court is grit. He can go and get rebounds like he is 7-foot, and his ability to slash is exciting. Rodgers gives Brad Underwood a lot of flexibility with the roster.

Backup: Carey Booth (SO)

As of right now, I have Carey Booth as the primary backup at the No. 4 spot. If the season started today, he would also likely be the backup at the No. 5 spot. He is an extremely versatile player.

In his lone season with Notre Dame, Booth managed to average 6.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. The Fighting Irish weren’t a good team, but Booth was one of their bright spots. He is a nice big 6-foot-10 player who can stretch the floor a bit and get rebounds. Illinois is going to be dangerous with him coming off the bench. If more players are added to the roster, there is a chance Booth can move into a starting role as well.

Backup: Transfer Portal

There are a couple of great options for Illinois right now when it comes to the transfer portal. There are rumblings that Ben Humrichous has already committed, but he hasn’t officially done so. Nate Santos is another name that I am eyeing for a potential transfer. Both players would help Illinois greatly.