Reinforcements are arriving for Illinois basketball. Illini starting guard Andre Curbelo (concussion protocol) and Trent Frazier (shoulder) will play for No. 11 Illinois (1-0) on Friday night for its 8 p.m. tipoff against Arkansas State (1-0), a team spokesman confirmed to Illini Inquirer. Both guards, two of the top-three returning scorers for Illinois, missed Tuesday’s 71-47 season opener due to injuries.
The Illini will still be without guard Austin Hutcherson, who is still resting a tailbone injury, and Preseason Big Ten Player of the Year Kofi Cockburn, who will be serving the second game of a three-game NCAA suspension for selling team-issued apparel during the offseason.
Curbelo was the Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year as a true freshman and also earned Big Ten All-Freshman Team honors after averaging 9.1 points and 4.2 assists per game. With Ayo Dosunmu now playing in the Chicago Bulls rotation, Curbelo is now the Illini’s primary playmaker and is expected to be among the best point guards in the country. The electric playmaker has been named to the Wooden Award Top-50 Watch List, the Naismith Trophy Watch List, the Lute Olson Award Watch List and the Bob Cousy Award Watch List. He was named a preseason All-American by Field of 68, College Hoops Today and Dick Vitale.
Frazier returned to Illinois for a fifth and extra season of eligibility, allowed due to the pandemic. He earned Big Ten All-Defensive Team honors last season and enters the season No. 19 on the Illini career scoring list. He has made 108 career starts at Illinois, averaging 11.4 points per game during his career and shooting 35.8% from three.
The two starting guards will be a huge boost to a team that was without its two primary ballhandlers during Tuesday’s 24-point win. Super senior Da’Monte Williams moved into the starting point guard role for the first time in his career and finished with eight points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes. Utah transfer Alfonso Plummer, a sharpshooter making his Illini debut, also handled the ball more than usual, finishing with nine points, four assists, three steals and three turnovers. Jacob Grandison led the Illini with 20 points, while Coleman Hawkins added 13 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three assists to four turnovers.
Arkansas State, ranked No. 185 in KenPom rankings, should provide a tougher test than Jackson State, ranked No. 294 KenPom. The Red Wolves, which defeated Division-II Harding 81-55 in its season opener on Tuesday, feature Sun Belt Preseason Conference Player of the Year in post player Norchad Omier (17 points, 12 rebounds in the season opener) and talented Arkansas transfer Desi Sills, who scored 21 points in his Red Wolves debut.
After Friday, Illinois travels to play Marquette (No. 90 KenPom) and first-year coach Shaka Smart on Monday for the Gavitt Tipoff Games. Cockburn will return for the Illini’s trip to the Hall of Fame Classic in Kansas City where Illinois plays Cincinnati on Nov. 22 and either Kansas State or Arkansas on Nov. 23.
