VIDEO: Illini PG Andre Curbelo on Duke & His Freshman Season

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois freshman point guard Andre Curbelo spoke to local and statewide media for his weekly media conference via Zoom video on Monday, Dec. 7.

The topics included his first four games in an Illinois uniform, his performance against Baylor on both ends of the floor and the upcoming matchup at Duke for an 8:30 p.m. tip on ESPN2 in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

Curbelo, who was rated by ESPN.com as the No. 41-ranked player in the 2020 recruiting class, is the future at the point guard position for the Illini. The Puerto Rico native, who Illinois lists at 6-foot-1 and 175 pounds, played his high school basketball in the Long Island district of New York and verbally committed to the Illini program on Nov. 1.

Through four games, Curbelo is averaging 10 points per game and 3.25 rebounds per game and 2.75 assists per contest. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood wasn't shy to heap major praise on the freshman point guard.

"He's going to be great and he's going to be great sooner rather than later," Underwood said last week about Curbelo. "There's an adjustment period that all freshmen go through. He's hardly practiced. He's a tough kid and I told him the best thing that happened to him prior to the Baylor game is he rolled his ankle because it actually slowed him down a little bit."