NORMAL - Osiris Eldridge plans to return to Illinois State for his senior year. He just wants to see what the NBA thinks about him. | LIVE: NCAA tourney box scores, play-by-play, commentary | NCAA men's basketball page | Hoops Challenge

Eldridge said he will probably put his name in the NBA Draft, but not hire an agent. He could then possibly go through pre-draft camps or workouts and get an evaluation of his status before pulling his name out and retaining his final season of eligibility.

"I've been thinking about it for a while. There's no reason why I wouldn't," said the 6-foot-3 guard from Chicago. "It gives you an opportunity to showcase what you've got and get feedback on what you need to work on and even if you're NBA material. It's a good thing to do."

College players can put their name in the draft one time and withdraw it to return to college. If they do it twice, they automatically lose their college eligibility.

ISU coach Tim Jankovich said he will talk with NBA people he knows to find out what they think about Eldridge.

"I will encourage him to do what's best for him," said Jankovich.

Eldridge ranks No. 17 on ISU's all-time scoring list with 1,325 points. He is a two-time all-Missouri Valley Conference first-team selection and was the Valley Tournament's Most Outstanding Player this season when the Redbirds lost in overtime to Northern Iowa in the championship game.

After that game, UNI coach Ben Jacobson said Eldridge is definitely a future NBA player.

Although Eldridge's scoring average dropped from 15.8 points per game last season to 14.0 this season, he improved his rebounding from 5.7 to 6.2. Eldridge also made a stronger commitment to defense. He was rewarded by being named to the all-Valley Defensive Team.

Eldridge is 20 3-pointers away from breaking the ISU career record of 224 set by Gregg Alexander from 2001-05.