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Illinois basketball: 5 questions the Fighting Illini must answer in 2020

By Anthony Brown

CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates with fans following the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
CHAMPAIGN, IL - MARCH 08: Head coach Brad Underwood of the Illinois Fighting Illini celebrates with fans following the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center on March 8, 2020 in Champaign, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) /
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Five questions that loom large for Illinois basketball this offseason.

Illinois basketball had an outstanding 2019-20 season and they finished fourth in the Big Ten with a 21-10 (13-7 Big Ten) record. Ayo Dosunmu, Kofi Cockburn, and Andres Feliz were the Fighting Illini’s leading scorers with 17, 13, and 11 points per game, respectively. Dosunmu and Cockburn earned Big Ten postseason honors. Cockburn was awarded Big Ten Freshman of the Year and named to the All-Freshman Team. Dosunmu earned First and Second-team All-Big Ten honors.

The Fighting Illini had key wins against the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines, Wisconsin Badgers, Rutgers Scarlet Knights, No.9 Penn State Nittany Lions, Indiana Hoosiers, and Iowa Hawkeyes. Their offense primarily ran through Dosunmu, Cockburn, and Feliz but Alan Griffin and Trent Frazier provided quality minutes on both ends of the floor as well.

The Fighting Illini will have their two transfers able to play in Jacob Grandison (Holy Cross transfer) and Austin Hutcherson (Wesleyan transfer) who were high volume scorers for their previous teams. They have a solid 2020 class coming through that is headlined by four-star shooting guard Adam Miller out of Morgan Park High School in Chicago.

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5. How will Jacob Grandison and Austin Hutcherson impact the Illini offense?

Jacob Grandison had a solid first two seasons with the Holy Cross Crusaders where he started 50 of 64 games. In the 2018-19 season, he averaged 14 points, five rebounds, and three assists per game for the Crusaders who finished last in the Patriot League.

Grandison will likely play shooting guard or small forward for the Fighting Illini. He does a great job of getting himself open when playing off the ball. He would be very effective for the Fighting Illini cutting to the basket for scores or coming off of screens that allow for open shots from the perimeter.

Austin Hutcherson earned First Team All-NESCAC selection as a sophomore for the Wesleyan Cardinals in 2018-19 and the Cardinals finished with a 16-9 (6-4 NESCAC) record. He averaged 20 points, six rebounds, and three assists that season. Hutcherson strikes me as a guy who can take the ball off the dribble and create his own shot. That would suit the Fighting Illini well in pick and roll scenarios as well as isolation situations.

These two transfers will provide instant offense for the Fighting Illini and should be able to help them make a push for the Big Ten’s top spot. Whether their impact shows itself immediately or they breakout later in the year, Brad Underwood will be pleased with the level of production those two provide.