What to know about the local college basketball teams ahead of the 2024-2025 season
Here's what to know about the local college basketball teams before the 2024-2025 season, including Notre Dame, DePaul, Loyola, Illinois and Northwestern.
Illinois has roster overhaul, looks to transform talented newcomers into another winning team
Illinois (29-9, 14-6 Big Ten)
The Illini won the Big Ten tournament, made it to the Elite Eight for the first time since 2005 and were ranked No. 6 in the final AP Top 25 poll last season.
However, four of their five starters are gone, including first-round NBA draft pick Terrance Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins, who transferred to Kansas State after averaging 12.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game. Most of their bench depth is gone, too.
Illinois has restocked its roster with talented transfers and freshmen for Coach Brad Underwood’s eighth season at the helm. The Illini have had five straight 20-victory seasons but how quickly the newcomers can mesh as a team will be key this year.
Players to watch
Ty Rodgers (junior, G/F, 6-6, 6.2 ppg, 5.3 rebounds). The Illini's lone returning starter led the team with 87 offensive rebounds last season. He didn’t shoot a 3-pointer last year, but worked on his shot during the summer so he can add an outside game to his arsenal. With all the departures, he is expected to be team leader on and off the court.
Will Riley (freshman, F, 6-8). The highest-ranked Illini recruit since Dee Brown in 2002 has attracted the attention of NBA scouts and is projected as a possible first-round pick in the NBA draft.
Morez Johnson Jr. (freshman, F, 6-9). The 2024 Illinois Mr. Basketball is being counted on to control the paint for the Illini, much needed on a team filled with outside shooters.
Departures and arrivals
Gone are fifth-year college players and starters Marcus Domask, Quincy Guerrier and Shannon, and Hawkins, a fourth-year player.
Five players are in from the transfer portal: Champaign native Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Ben Humrichous (Evansville), Tre White (Louisville), Carey Booth (Notre Dame) and Jake Davis (Mercer). The freshman class includes international players Kasparas Jakucionis and Tomislav Ivisic, in addition to Johnson and Riley.
Top games
The Illini open at home Nov. 4 against Eastern Illinois. They have games vs. Top 25 opponents sprinkled throughout their schedule: No. 2 Alabama (Nov. 20), No. 7 Duke (Feb. 22), No. 12 Tennessee (Dec. 14), No. 14 Purdue (March 7), No. 16 Arkansas (Nov. 28), No. 17 Indiana (Jan. 14), No. 22 UCLA (Jan. 11) and No. 25 Rutgers (Feb. 5).
Facts and figures
This is the first time since the 2018-19 season that Illinois isn’t ranked in the AP preseason poll, but the team is just outside at No. 26 ... Illinois’ 29 victories last year were the third-most in program history. ... The Illini have an international flavor on their roster with players from Canada, Croatia and Lithuania.
Northwestern looks to keep run going after back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances
Northwestern (22-12, 12-8 Big Ten)
Northwestern looks to keep the run going after making the NCAA Tournament the past two years. It’s a massive accomplishment for a school with only one appearance prior to that. All three have come under coach Chris Collins, who appeared to be on the hot seat before getting the program back on track. The Wildcats had five straight losing seasons after making the tournament in 2017.
Players to watch
Brooks Barnhizer (senior, guard, 14.6 ppg). A preseason All-Big Ten pick, Barnhizer was third-team all-conference last season when he averaged 7.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks. His 10 double-doubles ranked third on the program's single-season list.
Ty Berry (graduate student, guard, 11.6 ppg). The sharp-shooting Berry figures to have more opportunities to score and create for his teammates with Boo Buie now a pro. Berry made 43.3% of his 3-pointers and was 89.5% from the foul line last year before missing the final 11 games with a knee injury.
Nick Martinelli (junior, forward, 8.8 ppg). Martinelli played a bigger role after Berry was injured and started the final 11 games. He scored 27 late in the year in a win at Maryland and shot 49.2% for the season.
Departures and arrivals
Though the Wildcats have some productive players returning, they also have a big hole to fill after Buie led them to back-to-back NCAA tourney appearances. The guard averaged 19 points and five assists last season and was first-team all-conference. Also gone is Ryan Langborg. The Wildcats added guard Jalen Leach in the transfer portal. He averaged 16.2 points as a senior at Fairfield.
Top games
Northwestern opens at home against Lehigh on Nov. 4 and figures to be tested at Dayton — coming off a 25-win season and NCAA tourney appearance — five days later. The Wildcats will meet Butler in the Arizona Tip-Off on Nov. 28 and Mississippi State or UNLV on the 29th. They also play Georgia Tech in Milwaukee on Dec. 15. They open Big Ten play at Iowa on Dec. 3 and host Illinois on Dec. 6.
Facts and figures
Collins, beginning his 12th season, is 177-174 at Northwestern. He has never been a head coach elsewhere. ... The Wildcats haven't finished with winning records in three straight seasons since a four-year run from 2008-09 to 2011-12 under former coach Bill Carmody.
DePaul hopes to chart different course with new coach Chris Holtmann and overhauled roster
DePaul (3-29, 0-20 Big East)
DePaul hopes to chart a different course after hiring coach Chris Holtmann to restore a once-proud program. The Blue Demons have an entirely new roster following one of the worst seasons in Big East history. DePaul fired former coach Tony Stubblefield in January and hired Holtmann in March, a month after he was let go by Ohio State. Holtmann brings a 251-171 record with seven NCAA Tournament appearances in 13 seasons at Gardner-Webb, Butler and Ohio State. He was Coach of the Year in the Big East and Big Ten.
Players to watch
Layden Blocker (sophomore, guard, 3.7 ppg). The Arkansas transfer has a chance to establish himself with the Blue Demons after getting inconsistent minutes with the Razorbacks. Blocker started five of the 27 games he played in and shot 40.3%.
Conor Enright (junior, guard, 6.9 ppg). Enright started all 33 games for Drake last season and was second in the Missouri Valley with a 2.44 assist-turnover ratio. The Bulldogs went 28-7 and won their second straight conference tournament.
David Skogman (graduate student, forward, 13.3 ppg). Skogman played the past two years at Davidson after spending two at Buffalo. He started 17 games last season before a season-ending injury and shot 55.6% from the field.
Departures and arrivals
How big a job did Holtmann inherit? Of the 14 players on the roster, 10 are transfers and four are freshman. None suited up for DePaul last season.
Top games
DePaul hosts Southern Indiana in the season opener on Nov. 4. Notable nonconference games include trips to Texas Tech (Dec. 4) and Northwestern (Dec. 21) as well as home games against Wichita State (Dec. 14) and Loyola Chicago (Dec. 28). The Big East opener is against Providence at home on Dec. 10. DePaul hosts No. 3 UConn on Jan. 1 .
Facts and figures
DePaul has four straight losing seasons and has not finished with a winning record since going 19-17 in 2018-19. ... The Blue Demons are 66-275 in Big East play since joining the league in 2005. ... DePaul has lost 34 of 35 league games, counting the conference tournament. ... The Blue Demons were the first team to go 0-20 in Big East play.
Notre Dame looking to make big jump with revamped roster in coach Micah Shrewsberry's second season
Notre Dame (13-20, 7-13 ACC)
Coach Micah Shrewsberry endured a rough first season in South Bend, but Year 2 already looks different. Second-year guards Markus Burton and Braden Shrewsberry are the cornerstones of the 2024-25 team. They were the only two scorers to average in double figures last season. Plus, they have a stronger supporting cast. Notre Dame's freshman class is ranked among the nation's top 20 and three key transfers add experience, depth and scoring ability that seemed to be lacking in 2023-24. Can Notre Dame replicate the Year 2 jump Micah Shrewsberry had in his second season at Penn State when the Nittany Lions reached the NCAA Tournament? Perhaps now that they have the bodies to play at a more up-tempo pace.
Players to watch
Burton (5-foot-11 G, 17.5 ppg, 4.8 apg, 2.2 spg). The 2023 Indiana Mr. Basketball was as good as advertised in his first college season. He posted the highest averages among ACC freshmen in scoring and steals, broke Notre Dame's freshman scoring record all while also leading the Irish in assists. Notre Dame expects even more from their budding star this season.
Braden Shrewsberry (6-3 G, 10.2 ppg). The son of Notre Dame's coach started 15 of 33 games last season and was the team's No. 2 scorer. He also led the Irish with a 3-point percentage of 37.1% and broke the school's single-season record for most 3s in ACC play (55).
Matt Allocco (6-4 G, 12.7 ppg). Several players could be here, but the two-time all-Ivy League selection made it because he was the only Division I player to shoot 50% from the field, 40% on 3s and 90% on free throws last season. And he was a full-time starter on Princeton's Sweet 16 team in 2022-23.
Departures and arrivals
Notre Dame lost only one key player, 6-10 forward Carey Boothe, who transferred to Illinois after following Micah Shrewsberry from Penn State. But the Irish made up for his departure with some strong newcomers. Freshman guards Cole Certa and Sir Mohammed were both top 100 recruits, and the Irish added a shooter in Allocco, bulk with 6-10 Ukrainian forward Nikita Konstantynovskyi (8.1 rebounds), a transfer from Monmouth, and depth with 6-8 forward Burke Chebuhar, a transfer from Lehigh.
Top games
Nov. 6 opener vs. Stonehill; Nov. 16 at Georgetown; Nov. 28 vs. Houston at Las Vegas; Jan. 4 vs. North Carolina; Jan. 11 at Duke; Feb. 1 at Miami; March 5 vs. Stanford; March 8 vs. California.
Facts and figures
Notre Dame lost four of its final six games last season and finished with rankings of No. 342 in scoring (64.0 points) and No. 330 in field goal percentage (40.7%). ... In Micah Shrewsberry's previous two head coaching jobs, his teams made nine-game improvements from Year 1 to Year 2. ... The Fighting Irish spent the summer making a basketball tour of Spain and have been practicing with a 24-second shot clock to speed up the offense.
Loyola aims to repeat as A-10 Champs, and earn a spot in the Big Dance
Loyola (23-10, 15-3 Atlantic-10)
The Ramblers rebounded from a dismal 22-23 season to win a share of the Atlantic-10 title. They fell just short of an at-large bid, but earned a spot in the NIT. Drew Valentine has dipped into the transfer portal but
Players to watch
Des Watson and Jayden Dawson return as two of the Ramblers' go-to players on offense. The two are the top returning scoring players; Watson averaged 12.6 points per game and Dawson averaged 7.9 points per game last season. Chicago native Miles Rubin, one of the best shot blockers in the country as a freshman last season, returns with expectations to improve on the offense side of the ball.
Departures and arrivals
Francis Nwaokorie comes to Loyola as a 1,000-point scoring player at UC San Diego. That's experience the Ramblers can rely on offensively, as is Drexel transfer Justin Moore who shot .311 percent from 3-point range last season. Former VCU wing and Georgia forward Jalen DeLoach who brings rebounding experience to match his scoring output.
Those additions are welcome in Rogers Park, especially as the Ramblers leave massive shoes to fill with the departures of Dame Adelekun, Braden Norris and Philip Alston. Adelekun and Alston brought size to the rotation, but Norris was the court general point guard that was in charge of the offense. It's not easy to find those.
Top games
Nov. 15 @ Princeton; Dec. 7 vs. South Florida; Jan. 4 vs. VCU; Jan. 18 @ Dayton; March 5 vs. Davidson.
- FOX 32's Chris Kwiecinski
Bradley looks to take hold of new-look MVC
Bradley (23-12, 13-7 Missouri Valley)
The Braves were bounced in the MVC Tournament semifinals last season by Drake. The good news is Bradley is in a position to seize control of its conference. The perennial conference contending Bulldogs have a first-year head coach in Ben McCollum after Darian DeVries departed for West Virginia. DeVries' son and All-MVC player Tucker DeVries also joined him at WVU. With that development, Bradley was picked to win the conference with a resounding 46 first-place votes. UNI and Murray State earned first-place votes, but Bradley is the overwhelming favorite.
Players to watch
Back for the Braves are Darius Hannah and Duke Deen. Both provide experience and leadership, but Deen also provides the ability to make shots from almost anywhere on the court. Deen was also voted MVC Preseason Player of the Year; Hannah was also voted to the MVC Preseason First-Team.
That offensive ability will be key if the Braves want to stay successful in late-game situations. Bradley was 4-2 in one-score games last season.
Departures and arrivals
It's difficult to watch Malevy Leons and Connor Hickman, two standout members of last season's NIT squad, depart. Leons is searching for a two-way contract in the NBA and Hickman transferred to Cincinnati. Those were starters and key contributors.
The Braves still added some experience. Former Bradley guard Zek Montgomery returns after a stint at Rhode Island where he averaged 9.6 points and and 4.1 rebounds per game. Peoria native and Winona State transfer Connor Dillon is also an addition to the fold. Bradley also added youth in Timoty van der Knaap and Jaquan Johnson.
Top games
Nov. 8 vs. Washington State; Jan. 8 vs. Drake; Jan. 25 & Feb. 19 vs. Illinois State; March 2 vs. Northern Iowa.
- FOX 32's Chris Kwiecinski
Under new regime, UIC aims to establish itself in rigid MVC
Illinois-Chicago (12-21, 4-16 Missouri Valley)
The Flames made their move and fired Luke Yaklich, replacing him with Stanford assistant and former UAB head coach Rob Ehsan. The experience Ehsan has can't be ignored, but it might take a minute to establish what he wants. The good news is Ehsan recruited the pieces he needs to make his system work. The Flames may have been picked dead last in the MVC polls, but with the pieces in place to be a volume 3-point shooting team UIC might need a game to get hot and make its opponents pay.
Players to watch
Although the coaching change brought about plenty of shakeups on the roster, Filip Skobalj and Ethan Pickett return to the Flames this season. Look for them to be in expanded roles in Ehsan's first year.
Departures and arrivals
Plenty of departures harangued the Flames this offseason, including Isaiah Rivera who departed for DePaul, CJ Jones who departed for Kansas State and Toby Okani who transferred to West Virginia.
In their place, the Flames will aim to establish an identity behind the additions of Joshua Reaves, Jordan Mason, Koby Jeffries, Tyem Freeman and Javon Jackson.
Top games
Nov. 12 @ Northwestern; Jan. 11 vs. Bradley; Jan. 22 @ Evansville; Feb. 5 vs. Illinois State; March 2 vs. Valparaiso
- FOX 32's Chris Kwiecinski