Prior to its final exhibition game Friday night, Illinois unveiled the banner from its B1G tournament championship last year.

The Illini defeated Ohio State in the B1G tournament championship and locked up a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament with the win. It was Illinois’ first B1G tournament championship since 2005, and Some key contributors — including 2021 B1G Preseason Player of the Year Kofi Cockburn — are still on the roster this year.

The Illini bring back plenty of key players from last year, including Cockburn, sophomore Andre Curbelo and super-senior Trent Frazier. But they lost star point guard Ayo Dosunmu, who was drafted by the Chicago Bulls, which certainly leaves some shoes to fill. Freshman standout Adam Miller also transferred to LSU, leaving another hole in the roster.

After Friday’s exhibition game, Illinois will start the season against Jackson State on Nov. 9.