NCAA analysts pick Big Ten title favorites but it’s not Ace Bailey’s Rutgers or Braden Smith’s Purdue
College basketball analysts from the Field of 68 Media Network are swinging toward the Illinois Fighting Illini as the title favorites in the Big Ten Conference.
On the "After Dark" podcast on Monday, Cam Smith, Jeff Goodman, Ant Wright and Mike LaTulip discussed the conference title chances of Brad Underwood's team this year.
LaTulip placed an emphasis on the Fighting Illini's frontline, which has seen a ton of upgrades. Illinois also added freshmen Tomislav Ivisic and Morez Johnson Jr. and transfers Ben Humrichous and Carey Booth.
The 7-foot-1 Ivisic and the 6-9 Johnson are four-star players who can play in the middle with the Croatian having an opportunity to play professionally at the Adriatic League for SC Derby.
Johnson, on the other hand, is a product of Thornton Township High School in Riverdale, Illinois, and can easily slide from center to forward if Underwood commands him to play that role.
LaTulip also mentioned the roles of Booth and Humrichous for Illinois. They can man the frontcourt if the Fighting Illini wants to spread the floor and opt for a small-ball approach.
"You got Ivisic (where) you can have a different look (on offense)," LaTulip said (Timestamp 1:24). "If you want to go Morez Johnson, you have a rim runner that creates gravity from his roles out of pick-and-rolls," LaTulip said.
"Then, if you say, 'Hey, we want to go a little smaller,' you got Carrie Booth, who, I think, is primed to take a jump this year. And then Ben Humrichous from Evansville is another guy that I think can be a pro because of the way he shoots the ball and stretches the floor."
Illinois adds wrinkles to loaded lineup with Will Riley-Kasparas Jakucionis combo
Mike LaTulip also talked about Illinois' loaded backcourt that will be led by four-star guard Kasparas Jakucionis and five-star small forward Will Riley.
LaTulip is high on Jakucionis and expects the Lithuanian to use his EuroLeague experience to lead the Fighting Illini to the top of the 18-team Big Ten.
"He's been exposed to that level of basketball," the analyst said (Timestamp 3:12). "It's different than some of the prep guys coming in. This has been like a job for him for years, and the other thing that you look at with international players is yes, you got to adjust to American culture, but probably less distractions," the analyst said.
LaTulip noted that Will Riley will play an off-the-ball role. He said that the 6-8 small forward is capable of making great screens that will allow Jakucionis to operate as a playmaker.
Illinois played its lone exhibition game on Saturday, losing 91-74 to Ole Miss.
They will open the regular season against Eastern Illinois on Monday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.