NCAA basketball: Top 15 appointment-worthy teams to watch this season

8. Illinois Fighting Illini

The Big Ten’s favorite could well be the Illinois Fighting Illini, a notion that would have seemed strange just a few years ago. Illinois held its own in a rugged conference a year ago and was poised to return to the NCAA Tournament before the coronavirus ended the season.

The big development for Illinois is that its two best players, Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn, decided to return to school. Each player strongly considered going pro, with Dosunmu remaining in the NBA draft process for a long time, but their returns are a huge advantage for the Illini.

Dosunmu should be jockeying with Luka Garza for the Big Ten’s Player of the Year award and is a joy to watch for his excellent shotmaking ability. The Illini have also added a couple of high-caliber freshmen guards in Andrew Curbelo and Adam Miller to create even more depth in their lineup.

Illinois will have a big non-conference test on Dec. 8 when they take on Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium as part of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. A good showing there could be a sign that this team has a realistic shot at going to the Final Four.