CBS Insider Jon Rothstein Underrates Illinois Basketball in Preseason Ranking

CBS Sports Insider, Jon Rothstein, dropped a Big Ten offseason breakdown which included a Big Ten preseason power ranking. For the most part, many believe that Illinois basketball should be at the top of the league. Despite having a very young, but supremely talented roster, many believe in the recent consistency that Brad Underwood has shown. In fact, Andy Katz placed the Illini in the “top tier” of the Big Ten alongside schools like Purdue and Michigan State.

Jon Rothstein had a different perspective. He put Illinois Basketball in the eighth spot for his preseason power rankings. This is a pretty unique take to say the least, as he has schools such as Oregon, Ohio State and Maryland ahead of the Illini.

Illinois Basketball is ready to impress

Credit: Joe Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

The Illini will be a very young squad with a load of newcomers. On top of that, they are going to rely heavily on two international prospects that no one can project how well they will do. For example, UCLA brought in an extremely talented class of freshman including some top international prospects last year. Those international prospects were mostly non-factors, and UCLA was one of the worst power-five squads in the country. However, the data suggests that  Brad Underwood will put it together, and his upperclassmen are vastly underrated.

Kylan Boswell is a former five-star prospect ready to lead a team as a junior point guard. Ty Rodgers is heading into a very important Junior season and is ready to prove himself as a key cog in the Big Ten. Ben Humrichous was playing NAIA ball a few years ago and is ready to prove himself with his smooth stroke.

Illinois Basketball will surprise a lot of people this year. They have a large group of newcomers, however, the fit is undeniable.

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