Davis, Humrichous return home as crucial role players on Final Four team

Amidst the hype of the beloved “Balkan Five”, Kylan Boswell’s special senior season in his hometown, and Keaton Wagler’s rapid rise to stardom, Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous have been the unsung heroes of Illinois’ historic season.

Davis and Humrichous are two of Illinois’ eight rotational players, combining to play 42.1 minutes per game for the Fighting Illini. The Illinois roster is filled with immense talent, including a future lottery pick, five-star high school recruits, and a number of European stars.

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Yet, it’s two zero-star high school recruits from small towns in Indiana that have played as big a role as anyone in shaping the identity of the best Illini team since 2005. Now, Davis and Humrichous now get to return to their home state of Indiana to play on college basketball’s biggest stage…the Final Four.

Davis, a McCordsville, Indiana native and Humrichous, a Tipton, Indiana native, both graduated high school with zero stars to their name. Davis spent his freshman season at Mercer in Georgia before transferring to Illinois, while Humrichous spent three years at NAIA Huntington and a year at Evansville before transferring to Illinois.

Those are two very different paths, but they’re similar in that not many people would expect either of them to become major contributors on a Final Four team just two years later. Well, they’re here now.

Davis and Humrichous embody so much of what Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has wanted to build his rosters around. The two sharpshooters know how to space the floor, are willing defenders, have positional size, play smart, and will do what’s necessary to help the team win games by playing within their roles.

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Jake Davis started just one game last season, averaging 9.5 minutes and 3.0 points per contest. He’s earned an increased role this year, averaging 19.7 minutes and 5.4 points per contest. Shooting 40.9% from beyond the arc will keep you on the court.

Ben Humrichous has taken a bit…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/davis-humrichous-return-home-crucial-191658108.html

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Publish date : 2026-04-02 19:16:00

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