Jeff Goodman has the Illini ranked as preseason #35 in his preseason Top 50 for 2020-21:
https://watchstadium.com/jeff-goodmans-preseason-top-50-for-2020-21-04-23-2020/
Here's what he had to say about the Illini:
35. Illinois
Last Season: 21-10, 13-7 in Big Ten
Lose (5): Ayo Dosunmu* (NBA Draft, 16.6 ppg), G Andres Feliz* (11.0 ppg), G Alan Griffin (Transferred to Syracuse, 8.9 ppg), F Kipper Nichols (3.4 ppg), F Tevian Jones (Transferred, 0.9 ppg)
Declared, Likely Gone (1): Ayo Dosunmu*
Declared, Flip of the Coin (1): Kofi Cockburn
Starters Back (3): C Kofi Cockburn (Soph., 13.3 ppg, 8.8 rpg), G Trent Frazier (Sr., 9.1 ppg), G Da’Monte Williams (Sr., 2.8 ppg)
Other Returners (3): F Giorgi Bezhanishvili (Jr., 6.8 ppg), F Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk (1.2 ppg), C Jermaine Hamlin (Soph., 0.9 ppg)
Eligible Transfers (2): SF Jacob Grandison (Holy Cross, 13.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg), SG Austin Hutcherson (Wesleyan, 20.0 ppg, 5.6 rpg)
Add (3): SG Adam Miller (No. 29), PG Andre Curbelo (No. 48), PF Coleman Hawkins
Among the other B1G teams he had ranked in his top 50:
4. Iowa
5. Wisconsin
6. Michigan State
15. Rutgers
31. Indiana
32. Ohio State
33. Purdue
42. Michigan