Projected Illinois basketball lineup with the addition of Kylan Boswell

No. 3 Guard/Forward

Starter: Tre White (JR)

The transfer portal has been good to the Illinois basketball team this offseason. Just days ago, we landed talented wing, Tre White. He comes from Louisville where he had a solid first couple of years, and now his career can really take off with Illinois.

I have White starting at the No. 3 spot for the Illini. He isn’t the best shooter in the world, averaging just 29.9% from three-point range, but White is a slasher. He can get to the hoop and finish. He is also decent at free throw shooting, shooting 75.2% from the charity stripe. I think White can have a similar role to that of Quincy Guerrier in 2024-25.

Backup: Jake Davis (SO)

Illinois needed some scoring in the second unit. We got Sencire Harris back, who will be our defensive stopper, but we needed someone who could come in and give us 5-10 points per game and catch defenses off guard. That someone is Jake Davis.

As a freshman with Mercer, Davis averaged 9.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game while hitting 38.7% from three-point range. His minutes will drop this upcoming season, as there is more talent on the Illinois roster, but I still expect something like 7.0 points and 2.5 rebounds per contest. I have Davis as the primary backup at the No. 3 spot for the Orange and Blue.

Backup: Transfer Portal

There are two scholarships left for Brad Underwood to utilize, and I wouldn’t mind one going to a transfer portal wing who can shoot the ball. Having Davis is nice, but Illinois likes to continuously rotate guys in and out, and having another shooter out on the wing will help space the floor.