NCAAB · 1 year ago

College Basketball 2024-25 Preview Top 40: #34 Illinois Fighting Illini

David Connelly

Host · Writer

College Basketball 2024-25 Preview Top 40: #34 Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois Preview: Departures

Illinois Biggest Losses:

Terrence Shannon Jr. – 23.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.3 APG
Marcus Domask – 15.9 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 3.9 APG
Coleman Hawkins – 12.1 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 2.7 APG

Losing this core trio of last year’s team is a massive gut punch. If he wasn’t facing rape allegations that have since been acquitted, Shannon looked on his way to being an All-American last season. His loss is undeniably one of the biggest in the sport this offseason, and it will take a group effort to make up for his lost production. The do-it-all tendencies of both Marcus Domask and Coleman Hawkins won’t be an easy void to fill either, as both were solid scorers as well as efficient rebounders and playmakers.

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Illinois Preview: Arrivals

Illinois Top Additions:

Kylan Boswell (Arizona) – 9.6 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 1.6 APG
Ben Humrichous (Evansville) – 14.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.9 APG
Tre White (Louisville) – 12.3 PPG, 5.9 RPG, 1.3 APG

There was plenty of hope that Boswell was set to make a bigger step forward in his sophomore season at Arizona, but he didn’t quite live up to those expectations. A fresh start in his hometown makes for a great story and a level of comfortability that should be beneficial. Humrichous has one of the coolest stories entering next season, joining Illinois after three years at the Division II level before joining Evansville last season and dominating as the team’s leading scorer and primary sharpshooting threat. And with two years of eligibility remaining, White returns to Illinois after participating in a disastrous season at Louisville under Kenny Payne. Will Riley is not listed, but the five-star forward has some high-level skill and could grow into the role of being a Coleman Hawkins replacement over time.

Illinois Preview: Returnees

Illinois Top Returnees:

Ty Rodgers – 6.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.0 APG
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn – 2.4 PPG, 0.9 RPG, 0.4 APG
AJ Redd – 0.3 PPG, 0.2 RPG, 0.0 APG

Minimal production is returning to the Illinois locker room, which should be the team’s most significant shortcoming entering the 2024-25 season. There is little stability and continuity for head coach Brad Underwood to lean on, which may mean some growing pains in the non-conference portion of the season for the Fighting Illini. Rodgers is perhaps the most likely to serve a meaningful role among the trio of returners listed after starting all 38 games last season.

Illinois Preview: Look Back

Illinois 2023-24 Season:
Record: 23-8 (14-6 in Big Ten)
Postseason: Reached East Regional Final (Lost to UConn 77-52)

It’s unreasonable to consider this Illinois season a failure just for falling short of the Final Four, especially after they went down to what felt like the inevitable national champions at the time. They not only made their fourth consecutive NCAA Tournament and won their second Big Ten Tournament title in the past four years but also reached the second weekend for the first time since reaching the national championship in 2005. Brad Underwood may have had some criticisms, with just two tournament wins entering last season across six years with the program, but he silenced them for now with the previous season’s run in the East region.

Illinois Preview: 2024-25 Season

Illinois 2024-25 Season:
Illinois National Championship Odds +5500

While this roster’s talent accumulation is exciting, we are a bit concerned about how it will mesh with such little continuity from a season ago. The best play here may be to wait out the non-conference portion of the season and regroup around New Year’s to see if you can get a better number than the +5500 currently available on a group that may be starting to gel at the right time. We will classify Illinois as a hold for the time being.

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