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The Illinois Fighting Illini are set to lose a key player from their tournament team with guard Andre Curbelo entering the transfer portal. Curbelo was one of the players expected to take a major leap this season with Ayo Dosunmu gone, but the guard failed to register impact performances for Brad Underwood’s team.
Illinois point guard Andre Curbelo is portaling, the portal told @Stadium.
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) March 28, 2022
Curbelo averaged 7.5 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists over 19 games, a dip in production from his 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 31 games his freshman season. His inconsistency on the court produced brilliant runs but also created maddening moments for Underwood, who ultimately benched him for most of Illinois’ loss to Houston in the round of 32 during this past NCAA Tournament.
We’ll see where Curbelo ends up, but this is a tough blow for Illinois. With Kofi Cockburn, Trent Frazier and Alfonso Plummer all set to be gone, Curbelo could’ve had a bigger role for Underwood as the true lead point guard.