No one is sleeping on Curbelo, but if you’re counting on Curbelo to replace Ayo and his impact then who replaces Curbelo’s “impact from 2020-2021?” An improved Curbelo is not enough to essentially equal two players. Still a lot of questions, but we have some pieces that might be the answers. But I’m not buying predictions that next year’s team will be better than this year’s. I don’t think a short stretch of games without Ayo late in the season AFTER the identity and character of the team had already been created necessarily equates to success over a full season without Ayo. And that’s if Kofi comes back, and I am still skeptical that happens.Dont sleep on Curbelo...
I will say that having Trent back is a big step, especially since it seems like AM is gone. Need that experience to keep the culture going and show the newcomers the Illini way.