Since the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament, the Illinois Fighting Illini have lost:
- PG Andre Curbelo (transferred to St. John’s)
- PG Trent Frazier (graduation)
- SG Alfonso Plummer (graduation)
- SG Brandin Podziemski (transferred to Santa Clara)
- G/F Da’Monte Williams (graduation)
- PF Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (transferred to South Carolina)
- C Kofi Cockburn (NBA Draft)
- C Omar Payne (transferred to Jacksonville)
For a brief period time things looked fairly bleak for the Illini. Many questions lingered: Who was going to take over the reins?