I'll say it for the millionth time if it needs to be said, Illinois recruited two highly touted Guards. They are playing for teams that are 2-10 and 1-10 respectively in their conference this season. But they're starters, they play 33 minutes a game, they have a green light to shoot and get their stats, whether their efficient (both are sub 40 % from the field and top 5 in their conference in turnovers), whether they play good defense (I would say they leave some to be desired there).. meh.... I don't know if it was deliberate that it turned out that way, but they've made their decisions to lead them to that, and hopefully they're happy.
Meanwhile, the Illini have a top 10 team, both could be contributing to that, they certainly have the talent to be starters. For one reason or another, they decided this wasn't the place for them. Frankly, I think the decisions these two young MEN (and they are adults) have made aren't the greatest. From my perspective, they've prioritized themselves over team success and I think that it's only hurting them from a longterm basketball development perspective overall. I don't think the NBA is going to be calling for either of these two based on their current trajectories.
I can see why Underwood is happier having a team of Super-Seniors that are willing to sacrifice and buy in. Not a lot of ego on the current team, even if the recruiting rankings aren't as high as some of the guys that have checked out. It would certainly be nice to have players that are ultra-talented and willing to buy in, but they didn't want to be here and so be it I suppose.