Illini Basketball 2026-2027
Vaaks / Mirk / Andrej are the engines to our offense.
Tomi and QC are a slight step below, but will be very productive.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Cracking the top 7 won’t be easy.
Vaaks
Coleman
Andrej
Mirk
Tomi
Z
Jake
^^^ That’s an incredibly established top 7. Even Jake, who could be described as the weakest of those 7, was a starter on a Final Four team last year.
8, 9, and 10 are completely up for grabs. With Morillo being the highest ranked recruit of the remaining freshman, you’d think 8 would belong to him. But it sounds like there’s gonna be a battle for that spot.
Really hoping for one of Morillo or Williams to pop. Both offer different upsides in the immediate if either one do.
Williams on one hand gives you an element of speed and athleticism defensively and in transition we really only have from Andrej currently. While Morillo with his height and versatility and onball skills seems like a perfect match offensively for what this group does.
With news of Kitt putting together a monster summer i think the talent evaluation of this staff is just operating at an insanely high level right now. Brad gets a ton of credit for adjusting to his personnel, as he should. But I'm thrilled he's settled into a bit of a style and type here - doubling down on strenghts.
Williams on one hand gives you an element of speed and athleticism defensively and in transition we really only have from Andrej currently. While Morillo with his height and versatility and onball skills seems like a perfect match offensively for what this group does.
With news of Kitt putting together a monster summer i think the talent evaluation of this staff is just operating at an insanely high level right now. Brad gets a ton of credit for adjusting to his personnel, as he should. But I'm thrilled he's settled into a bit of a style and type here - doubling down on strenghts.
Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
Somebody needs to sell me on Michigan State because I don't see it. They have 1 really good player.
#1 donkey kicker in the land
Somebody needs to sell me on Michigan State because I don't see it. They have 1 really good player.
Sadly, I think i do. I'm a big Scott fan, and Glenn is a really nice player. Their backcourt and depth along with it is good.
Gotta replace a strong frontcourt though, so for sure flagging that.
I'd take them second at present moment over Michigan though.
Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
these are the type of problems we want
Can you name names?
Ned isakoff
OrangeBlue98
Iowa is not in a great spot right now (LvilleILL1)
- Des Moines, IA
Approximately 320 Division 1 men’s basketball coaches would give a body part to have this problem…….
Gotta be some super competitive practices. Love to hear it.
Can't help myself. Going to do a minutes projection.
1. Vaaks (33 mpg) QC (5 mpg) Morillo (2 mpg)
2. QC (20 mpg) Jake (10 mpg) Morillo (8 mpg)
3. Andrej (30 mpg) Jake (10 mpg)
4. Mirk (33 mpg) Z (4 mpg)
5. Tomi (28 mpg) Z (12 mpg)
Here's how I got there:
- Vaaks will play 30+ minutes. We've had a newcomer average more than 30 every year since Ayo left. Keaton, KJ, Marcus, TJ, Plummer.
- Jake will play the same amount of minutes but will play more at the 2 this year. He and Andrej only played together for an average of about 6 minutes per game last year but when they did play together, it was one of the most efficient 5 man lineups in college basketball. So, I'm looking for that number to increase.
- Sophomore leap will lead to Mirk's minutes increasing
- Tomi, now fully healthy and confident in his role will surpass the 27 mpg he played his first season here.
- And Z will be about the same as last year but he and Tomi will get to play together a little more this year.
So based on that I was projecting:
7 mpg available at the 1
30 mpg available at the 2
3 mpg available at the 4
You gotta think that QC gets 25 mpg conservatively.
With most of the opportunity available at the 1 or 2, I talked myself into Morillo being our 8th man at about 10 mpg. Which leaves about 5 mpg for another freshman based on need for a given game.
Interestingly and probably not coincidentally, this harkens back to 2024 a little bit when we returned a good portion of a veteran squad entrenched in their roles. Dain rounded out an 8 man rotation that year averaging 11 mpg with DGL averaging 7 mpg but registering DNPs in 10 games.
1. Vaaks (33 mpg) QC (5 mpg) Morillo (2 mpg)
2. QC (20 mpg) Jake (10 mpg) Morillo (8 mpg)
3. Andrej (30 mpg) Jake (10 mpg)
4. Mirk (33 mpg) Z (4 mpg)
5. Tomi (28 mpg) Z (12 mpg)
Here's how I got there:
- Vaaks will play 30+ minutes. We've had a newcomer average more than 30 every year since Ayo left. Keaton, KJ, Marcus, TJ, Plummer.
- Jake will play the same amount of minutes but will play more at the 2 this year. He and Andrej only played together for an average of about 6 minutes per game last year but when they did play together, it was one of the most efficient 5 man lineups in college basketball. So, I'm looking for that number to increase.
- Sophomore leap will lead to Mirk's minutes increasing
- Tomi, now fully healthy and confident in his role will surpass the 27 mpg he played his first season here.
- And Z will be about the same as last year but he and Tomi will get to play together a little more this year.
So based on that I was projecting:
7 mpg available at the 1
30 mpg available at the 2
3 mpg available at the 4
You gotta think that QC gets 25 mpg conservatively.
With most of the opportunity available at the 1 or 2, I talked myself into Morillo being our 8th man at about 10 mpg. Which leaves about 5 mpg for another freshman based on need for a given game.
Interestingly and probably not coincidentally, this harkens back to 2024 a little bit when we returned a good portion of a veteran squad entrenched in their roles. Dain rounded out an 8 man rotation that year averaging 11 mpg with DGL averaging 7 mpg but registering DNPs in 10 games.
33 is way too much for Mirk. Guys with similar body times RARELY get to 33 minutes.
Derek Queen for example was 30.5
Morillo. Incredibly established top 8.
9, 10, 11 are completely up for grabs between Zens, Brown, Williams. None of them are supplanting Morillo.
(P.S. I know there will be a reply to this with the typical "nothing is solidified into the future" argument. Which I'd agree to - except you're putting that same emphasis on the top 7 being solidified.
If we're saying the top 7 is solidified, then the top 8 is even more solidified. There's SIGNIFICANTLY more chance of Morillo cracking the top 7 than there is of Brown/Zens/Williams cracking the top 8.)
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It has to be better than 28% (Z) and 31% (Tomi) if that's the goal.
Both need to be 33% or above, at least.
The drop-off in our roster is after you get passed Morillo (not Zvonimir or Jake).
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
He averaged 29.5/game last year. Seems about right for his average again this year factoring in blowouts. Will likely give 30+ in meaningful games.
I think Illinois has more talented and I wouldn't even say MSU has depth but they are definitely going to end up near the top of the big10 imo.
Somebody needs to sell me on Michigan State because I don't see it. They have 1 really good player.
Fears and Teng will give them a veteran backcourt and then Jervis is in the same range as Coleman as a prep recruit. Could very easily be one of the best back courts in the country.
Then Carr is probably the best athlete in college basketball. I'm not as sold on the frontcourt but Izzo also does tend to get more out of his teams than the sun of their parts.
His average last year of 29.5 seems about right for his average this year. Maybe a little more - I’ll say 30.5.
It's just extremely, extremely unlikely that he plays 33 (which was the original point). 6”9 250 pound power forwards playing that many minutes is super rare.
You can look thru the All Big Ten teams each year:
Tre Kaufman led the Big Ten in scoring prior to Cluff coming. He played 30.8.
Derick Queen played 30.5
Morez Johnson was the best PF in the conference last year and played 25.1 (a lot of it is due to Michigan's blowouts).
Danny Wolf played 30.5
Reink Mast played 29.7 the year he was all big ten (and last year played 29.2).
Tyler Bilodeau at UCLA was at 30.2.
Coleman Hawkins played 31.6 in 2024 (and he's on the much lighter end in terms of weight).
There may be some exceptions - mostly it just signifies the team isn't able to play without you AT ALL.
The guy had Mirk at 33 and Coleman at 25. I think Coleman at 28 and Mirk at 30 is a lot more realistic.
MSU has more depth, it's not close.
Starting 5 (per Rothstein): Fears, Carr, Scott, Ward, Bonke.
Bench: Teng, Glenn (averaged 13/game at Eastern KY), Jervis (5 star freshman), Taylor (5 star freshman), Medlock (top 50 freshman).
MSU and USC are the deepest teams. Michigan would've been in that conversation had Cason played, but he transferred.
Way too much? He played 30 mpg last year as a freshman. So, even if you assume 30 minutes is his absolute physical limit, we're talking about a difference of 3 minutes lol.
3 more minutes isn't alot. But 3 more minutes PER GAME is.
You might be right. I could be high on his minutes.
But mostly I just find your tolerance to error amusing.
Increase mpg by 1: Just right
Increase mpg by 3: Inconceivable!
I get a ton of flak on here for various things I argue about, but hopefully I've never gotten this pedantic.
Cameron Boozer played 33.5 minutes per game last season at the same exact height and weight as Mirkovic played at last year (and David is looking like he's going to be in a lot better physical shape this season).
33 minute average is certainly not impossible.
Cameron Boozer played 33.5 minutes per game last season at the same exact height and weight as Mirkovic played at last year (and David is looking like he's going to be in a lot better physical shape this season).
33 minute average is certainly not impossible.