[lawrence-newsletter]The battle for the Big Ten in 2020 has been billed by me, and many others, as the Badgers, Iowa, and Michigan State vying for the crown. You can now add a fourth team to that top tier after a pair of Illinois stars have decided they are returning to school. A team that improved their win total by nine games in 2019-20, and finished 21-12 overall under Brad Underwood, should take yet another step forward in 2020-21.
It was announced this morning by CBS insider Jon Rothstein that big man Kofi Cockburn will return to Champaign for his sophomore season and withdraw his name from the 2020 NBA Draft.
BREAKING: Illinois big man Kofi Cockburn tells me that he is withdrawing from the 2020 NBA Draft and returning to school next season.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 1, 2020
This news comes just a few days after fellow Illinois star Ayo Dosunmu decided to return to school for his junior season and withdraw his name from the 2020 NBA Draft pool.
With their two leading scorers from a year ago returning, Illinois will feel that they have as much of a shot at anybody at not only winning the Big Ten, but making a run to the Final Four.
If Kofi Cockburn follows Ayo Dosunmu and returns to school, Illinois will be a consensus Top-10 team to begin next season.
Early prediction on Illinois' 20-21 starting five:
Trent Frazier, Ayo Dosunmu, Da'Monte Williams, Giorgi Bezhanshvili, Kofi Cockburn. https://t.co/O7SNLk5rLD
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 1, 2020
The Illini will likely have four of their top six scorers from a season ago in the starting lineup, as well as one of the largest front lines in college basketball with Giorgi Bezhanshvilli and Cockburn. The top tier of the Big Ten conference just got even more crowded.