2013-2014 Big Ten Basketball Preview: #9 Illinois Fighting Illini

Last Season: John Groce arrived from Ohio University last year and brought with him some of the most entertaining facial expressions in college basketball. He also inherited an experienced team that started out the season on a 12-0 run, before going 8-10 during the Big Ten season. The Illini were lead by a pair of All Big Ten guards in Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson, but both have been lost to graduation. Ultimately, the Illini's season came to an end in the second round of the NCAA tournament on a, shall we say, questionable call?

Brandon Paul

Departures: Tyler Griffey, Sam McLaurin, Brandon Paul, DJ Richardson, Ibby Djimde (Transfer), Mike Henery (Transfer), Devin Langford (Transfer), Mike Shaw (Transfer)

Returning Players: Joseph Bertrand, Nnene Egwu, Tracy Abrams

Newcomers: Kendrick Nunn, Malcolm Hill, Austin Colbert, Jaylon Tate, Maverick Morgan, Rayvonte Rice (Transfer), John Ekey (Transfer), Ahmad Starks (maybe, Transfer)

What to expect: Find me a team in the country with more turnover than Illinois, and you'll likely come up empty handed. On the chance that you do find a team, they also likely aren't as well equipped to handle it as the Illini are. The development of Tracy Abrams and Nnene Egwu will be very important, as those two, along with Joseph Bertrand, are the only returning players who received major minutes last year. Yet, the Illini's lineup will contain several other contributors who have played college basketball. Rayvonte Rice, a transfer from Drake, could prove to be the Illini's best player this year, as he averaged 16.8 PPG in his last season of college basketball. Jon Ekey is a grad transfer from Illinois State, who will provide some minutes in the frontcourt. The freshman class has received a lot of hype, and players such as Kendruck Nunn, Malcolm Hill, and Austin Colbert were all top 150 recruits that should contribute. Nunn is the big one to watch, as the 4-star recruit hails from Simeon in Chicago (you may have heard of his high school teammate, Hint: First name... Jabari). Illinois has long needed to make inroads in the city of Chicago, and for whatever reason has struggled to do so. This class showed progress in that regard, with fellow freshman Jaylon Tate also hailing from Simeon (Dear God... that team must have killed everybody).

Storyline to watch: Is it a legit storyline if I say John Groce's facial expressions?

Final Prediction: 17-14 (7-11)
Lots of young talent, and I have a feeling they will be dangerous at the end of year. I think that there are too many pieces playing together for the first time to expect an NCAA tournament bid. Illi-N-I-T (Boooooo) this year.