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Illinois Basketball 2025-26 Preview: Fighting Illini Control Their Destiny

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Illinois basketball is in for quite a challenge during the 2025-26 college basketball season. It’s no different than previous years, when Illinois lost a lot of talent to the NBA or the transfer portal. Despite all of its talent, the 2024-25 squad failed expectations, as they lost in the second round against Kentucky. Now, Illinois has to replace two 1st round NBA draft picks in Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley. Not to mention that Morez Johnson Jr, among others, hit the transfer portal.

Illinois Basketball 2025-26 Preview: Fighting Illini Control Their Destiny

Making Sense of the Roster

Things looked to be in a good place coming into the summer with a fresh and rejuvenated Ty Rodgers.  Then came a major hurdle for the forward. Rodgers has been lost for an undisclosed amount of time after he suffered a severe knee injury in a pick-up game back in his home state of Michigan. That isn’t the type of news you want to hear, especially when a lot was expected of Rodgers after he took a redshirt for the previous season.

Luckily, the Illini return other experienced players in Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous, Jake Davis, and Tomislav Ivisic. That doesn’t include all of the talent Illinois was able to grab.  From high school and via the transfer portal. Sure, lots of players seem to come and go in Champaign, but Underwood finds a way to build a contending team every season.

Euro star David Mirkovic was a great splash as he looks to showcase his talent alongside another pair of former European-style players. Andrej Stojakovic transferred over from California, and the Illini were also able to land Zvonimir Ivisic from Arkansas. The Ivisic brothers are going to be hard to stop in 2025-26.

Here’s a look at the full Illinois Basketball Roster:

Returners: Humrichous, Boswell, AJ Redd, Ivisic, Davis, Jason Jakstys.

Newcomers: Blake Fagbemi, Ivisic, Brandon Lee, Mirkovic, Stojakovic, Keaton Wagler.

Schedule Outlook

The Illini had quite the schedule last season, and they will once again partake in a strong schedule in 2025-26. An early November home clash against Texas Tech will have the State Farm Center rocking. Not to mention the Illini will take on a likely Top 10 foe in Alabama at the United Center in downtown Chicago.

The non-conference slate for Illinois also features games against UConn (New York City), Tennessee (Nashville) and their yearly rivalry with Missouri.

Looking forward to Big Ten play, it doesn’t get any easier with road trips to East Lansing, West Lafayette, College Park, and Los Angeles, just to name a few.

They get the Michigan in Champaign, which will be a fun match-up.

 

 

Expectations vs. Predictions

Like 2024-25, the Illini come into the 2025-26 season with high expectations. This is a team on paper that should be near the top of the Big Ten. That was the major expectation last season, but they came up a little short. If Rodgers were healthy for this season, they might be right near the top, coming in alongside the likes of Purdue and Michigan.

I see Illinois basketball as a top-six team in the Big Ten, but not quite a Championship contender. What they can do against their non-conference slate will tell me more. But for now, I feel confident saying they are in the hunt.

© Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

The post Illinois Basketball 2025-26 Preview: Fighting Illini Control Their Destiny appeared first on Last Word On Basketball.