It’s not a new issue, but a surprising one nonetheless. Despite one NBA prospect after another coming out of Chicago, neither Northwestern nor Illinois have a single player among ESPN’s preseason top 100 players.
Earlier this week ESPN released their list of the top 100 players heading into the college basketball season. The two major teams in the state of Illinois are completely without a player on the list. Their Big Ten rivals, however, put 16 players on the list.
Team-by-team breakdown Indiana: 4 Maryland: 4 Michigan State: 2 Purdue: 2 Wisconsin: 2 Michigan: 1 Nebraska: 1
While the Illinois teams can’t seem to get any top players, that definitely doesn’t mean they aren’t still available. At least three of the top 50 players all come from the Chicagoland area.
- No. 5 Tyler Ulis (Marian Catholic) Kentucky
- No. 14 Fred VanVleet (Auburn High School, Rockford) Wichita State
- No. 46 Jalen Brunson (Stevenson) Villanova
Notre Dame, on the other hand, was well represented. Guard Demetrius Jackson is ranked No. 13 and forward Zach Auguste is No. 40.
