CHAMPAIGN — Four teams still have a national championship as their end goal to the 2018-19 season. But while Michigan State, Texas Tech, Virginia and Auburn head to Minneapolis for the Final Four, Illinois' focus has turned intently on recruiting — to fill both immediate needs and future ones.
The Illini remain in pursuit of an athletic power forward capable of stretching the floor offensively. A graduate transfer — like Stephen F. Austin's T.J. Holyfield or Lehigh's Pat Andree — might be the final target, but Illinois also just offered Class of 2019 prospect Kevin Cross. The 6-foot-8, 240 pound forward helped Mills University Studies (Ark.