The Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team is expected to rely heavily on freshman guard Quentin Coleman this season, one year after freshmen David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler starred in Champaign, Ill. 

Brad Underwood's team took on coach Jerrod Calhoun's Cincinnati Bearcats in a road exhibition matchup recently, a 105-96 Illinois win that gave Coleman a chance to play 31 minutes against high-level competition.

His performance impressed a college hoops insider from CBS Sports, who placed Coleman among the best in the country in one key area. 

Coleman was ranked as a five-star prospect and the best player in the state of Missouri out of high school according to 247Sports.com, and came to Champaign with good height and length for a guard at 6-foot-4, 180 pounds. 

Coleman scored 14 points, dished out eight assists and shot 5-for-9 from the field against Cincinnati, including 2-of-4 shooting on three-pointers. He was undeterred by his relatively slight frame when it came to rebounding, grabbing five defensive rebounds and two offensive rebounds, seven total for Underwood's team, that led to praise from Mike LaTulip of CBS Sports college basketball. 

"Skill set is tantalizing," LaTulip said.

"The way he took over that game at the end...Step backs, getting to the rim...One of the best rebounding guards in the country out of the box." 

The Fighting Illini lost top assist men Kylan Boswell and Keaton Wagler from last year's Final Four team, presenting an opportunity for new players to shoulder the load of setting up their teammates via the pass. 

Coleman's passing skills were on full display against the Bearcats as he looked to set up his teammates on crafty drives. It appeared as if Underwood and his staff made Coleman's passing a point of emphasis this offseason, which could be good news for the Fighting Illini, who lack an established pass-first point guard going into the year and are 10-plus deep with scorers. 

Illinois was out-assisted 14 to 3 against the Connecticut Huskies last year's Final Four loss. A strong season from Coleman as the team's starting point guard could help Underwood's crew get over the hump, and win Illinois' first-ever national championship, if all goes well.