Eight breakout juniors

Tyler Griffey: If it was frustrating for Illini fans the last two years to watch big men Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale play underachieving, pillow-soft basketball, imagine how it felt for Griffey. He's the one who had to sit on the bench. Now that Davis and Tisdale are gone, Griffey has brought his versatility and blue-collar hustling attitude to the court where it belongs. Griffey's numbers made a healthy leap from last season, but you have to watch the Illini play to really appreciate the many ways in which he contributes. He may not be as gifted as some other big men, but at least he gets the most out of what he has.

Seth Davis