Illini Basketball 2026-2027

[PepeSilvia]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2077546266590879926

I've watched this 82 times. seeing Andrej hit some 3s warms the ol' cockles. lots more to like too. can't wait.

anyone got a link to the spycam?

Tomi looking a lot thicker than I remember him. Would be nice to have him banging inside a bit.

Mirk also looking like he's in a lot better shape(also I know it's not called anymore but some egregious carries).

Still think Lincoln Williams might end up being an interesting bench piece this year because how different he is to the rest of the roster. Get working with Fletch and buy in as a defender and he could earn himself a role.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Interesting debate on the Sleepers podcast. Who’s been the best team in the B1G over the past 5-6 years and who will be the most dominate team in the B1G going forward?

To start, here’s the results of each of the 4 best teams in the B1G over the last 6 years:

Team	Big Ten wins	Conference championships	NCAA appearances	Elite Eights or better	Best finish
Purdue	85	4	6	2	Runner-up
Illinois	83	3	6	2	Final Four
Michigan	72	3	4	2	Champion
MSU	73	1	6	1	Elite Eight

That’s likely the order I’d place them in. To me, Purdue takes the crown. Most wins, most conference championships, and a national championship game appearance.

I put Illinois 2nd. 11 more B1G wins than Michigan and 2 additional NCAAT appearances, but Michigan does have the only Natty of any B1G team in the past 25 years. That might be worth a few extra regular season wins. Would be tough to argue with someone placing them at the top or 2nd.

MSU is clearly 4th though. 10 less regular season wins than us, just 1 conference championship, and never made it past the E8.

Now, what’s the B1G going to look like going forward?

As of this moment, I’d rank them:

1. Illinois
2. Purdue
3. Michigan St
4. Michigan

Michigan sliding into last is easy. They just lost a generational coach. They’ve got a mediocre coach on a 2 year deal. The wrong hire could set them back another 3-5 years.

I put us on top. I’m obviously bias, but the reason why is exactly what Trotter said on the Werner podcast this week:

Brad can recruit high school, the transfer portal, and the Euro market, giving us flexibility in roster building. Brad’s got a F4 under his belt, guys making the league, a system NBA prospects want to play for, and staff continuity.

If I were to pick the team with the most wins in the B1G over the next 6 years, I’d pick Illinois.

Now, if only we can solve this 9th man issue, then we’d really be onto something.

Agree with Illinois at #1 moving into the future.

But for the last 6 years -- I don't think you can put Michigan #3. National Championships are highly scarce, especially in the Big Ten. That team was also probably the best of any team in College Basketball in that 6 year span.

The obvious argument against them, would be how bad Juwan's final year was. They were legitimately the worst team in the Big Ten. The lows of the program were as low as anybody, yet the highs were higher than anybody as well.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2077546266590879926

I've watched this 82 times. seeing Andrej hit some 3s warms the ol' cockles. lots more to like too. can't wait.

anyone got a link to the spycam?

Generally not one to put lots of stock into these vids; however, both QC and Lincoln Williams seem to have a different level of bounce and athleticism.

Besides Andrej, it's something we lack amongst the other perimeter guys.

 

[Joel Goodson]

highlight clip. nevertheless, pretty good:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2077613109187899562

how quickly he gets his shot off is most impressive. and that he's not merely a stationary shooter too. could be an outright killer. a year with Fletch should help a lot

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

How I’d summarize the previous discussion, is that we just need one of Brown/Zens/Williams being capable of filling the #9thMan void.

It’s a very light-work role. Around 5-7 minutes per game.

We just need ONE out of the THREE to be good enough for it.

…..

I think/hope… that shouldn’t be an issue?

Previous examples include: freshman Coleman Hawkins. freshman Dra Gibbs Lawhorn.

 

[Trueblue777]

Where exactly are you seeing our "9th/10th guys" ranked top 100?

247composite:

Zavier Zens is 146
Lincoln Williams is 202
Ethan Brown is 211
Landon Davis is 244

That's only 1 in the top 200 (at 146).

Don’t put much stock in rankings, we learned that last year

 

[WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?]

Don’t put much stock in rankings, we learned that last year

They’re accurate more times than not.

Wagler was just the exception. (Brandon Lee conversely, was not that exception)

 

[blackdog]

highlight clip. nevertheless, pretty good:

https://twitter.com/x/status/2077613109187899562

how quickly he gets his shot off is most impressive. and that he's not merely a stationary shooter too. could be an outright killer. a year with Fletch should help a lot

If you aren't already in his hip pocket when he catches hes firing that thing up. Talk about creating gravity for a defense.

 

[Joel Goodson]

How I’d summarize the previous discussion, is that we just need one of Brown/Zens/Williams being capable of filling the #9thMan void.

It’s a very light-work role. Around 5-7 minutes per game.

We just need ONE out of the THREE to be good enough for it.

…..

I think/hope… that shouldn’t be an issue?

the entire season hinges on it

 

[WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?]

How I’d summarize the previous discussion, is that we just need one of Brown/Zens/Williams being capable of filling the #9thMan void.

It’s a very light-work role. Around 5-7 minutes per game.

We just need ONE out of the THREE to be good enough for it.

Yes, Freshman DGL and Freshman Coleman Hawkins are both good options (for a 9th man).

Freshman CH: 81% of games played, averaged 1.4 points and 6.4 minutes across those games.

Freshman DGL: 74% of games played, averaged 2.4 points and 7.1 minutes across those games.

You at least have the option to dispose those guys in a given circumstance, knowing they can hold up in limited minutes.

The issue is, the guys this year (Williams, Zens, Brown) are ranked much lower than both.

 

[WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?]

Don’t put much stock in rankings, we learned that last year

They’re accurate more times than not.

“Last year” just means Wagler. He was the generational exception (not the rule).

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

The issue is, the guys this year (Williams, Zens, Brown) are ranked much lower than both.

But that’s why we have THREE of them. You only need 1 out of the 3 to hit.

And “hit” just means to be able to play 5-7 minutes / game.

 

[PleaseMakeABowlGame]

Good point, and it will be that much funnier when they end back up in the mid 70’s at the bottom half of the B1G by the end of the season.

Their team is very much like Michigan last year. Would not be surprised to see them atop the conference actually.

 

[FrankNitty30]

Not sure I follow. You're saying the national champ played their 8th guy 6 minutes, which is less than 10, so that's 7 guys at 10+, whereas UConn played 9 at 10+?
Both those teams were considered pretty deep but the championship game both only went 7 deep. Box score

That is what I am saying. Albeit, not very well.

Both in essence played their top 7, 93% of the game. Michigan was 97% and chose to play a hurt Lendeborg 36 mins as opposed to playing their 8th man.

UConn played their 8-9th men. A grand total of 14 mins. I would assume that would have been considerably less if their two starting guards didn’t have 9 fouls between them.

 

[FrankNitty30]

It's primarily a regular season thing where I'd like to see a little more depth. Was just pointing out the tournament rest is even longer because of the long tv timeouts.

And yes, I get the concept that a bench guy can kill you at times. But in hindsight we looked tired shooting especially in the elite 8 & final 4 games. A little more depth during the year can make a big difference at the end of the year. Only point I was trying to make. If you use those guys a little more during the year you may be able to ride the best players a little harder if you get deep into March/April.

Yeah, if you get to Detroit you don't worry about going 10 deep in the semifinal but if you did it up to then your key guys have that little bit extra juice to really be leaned on at the end of the season. It's a subtle thing but when you are preseason anywhere from 1 to 5 depending on whose poll it is, you look for every subtle edge that might matter at the end of the season. It can be done with 8 deep but it's a thinner margin. And I'm not expecting those 9 or 10 guys to play much. Just a couple spot minutes as it adds up during the year.

Nope. I think the pressure and the crazy shooting sight lines of playing in a football stadium are FAR bigger factors than fatigue.

 

[BWA]

Yes, Freshman DGL and Freshman Coleman Hawkins are both good options (for a 9th man).

Freshman CH: 81% of games played, averaged 1.4 points and 6.4 minutes across those games.

Freshman DGL: 74% of games played, averaged 2.4 points and 7.1 minutes across those games.

You at least have the option to dispose those guys in a given circumstance, knowing they can hold up in limited minutes.

The issue is, the guys this year (Williams, Zens, Brown) are ranked much lower than both.

So was Wagler… rankings don’t matter much when you get to that range.

I trust this staff to hit on one of those 3 to be capable of scoring 2 points in 7 minutes and playing capable defense.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

I just hope that the bench players see the opportunity next year. I have a feeling that we will be losing 5-7 players to graduation and the draft.

Since people say this so loosely, let's break it down.

Our top 8: Vaaks, Coleman, Stojakovic, Mirkovic, Tomi, Z, Jake, Morillo.

Tomi and Z are graduating -- can't come back even with pending 5 for 5 -- so that's 2.

Jake isn't departing due to graduation (5 for 5), and he doesn't have the NBA potential to turn down a year of college to go to the draft, so not him. He'll either come back or transfer (regardless of which he chooses, he isn't going to the draft, and he isn't graduating).

So that leaves 5 wild cards: QC, Vaaks, Morillo, Stojakovic, Mirkovic.

To satisfy your 7 number, all 5 would have to go to the draft.

To satisfy 6, 4 would have to go to the draft.

To satisfy 5, 3 would have to go to the draft.

 

[NarrowJ]

Yes, Freshman DGL and Freshman Coleman Hawkins are both good options (for a 9th man).

Freshman CH: 81% of games played, averaged 1.4 points and 6.4 minutes across those games.

Freshman DGL: 74% of games played, averaged 2.4 points and 7.1 minutes across those games.

You at least have the option to dispose those guys in a given circumstance, knowing they can hold up in limited minutes.

The issue is, the guys this year (Williams, Zens, Brown) are ranked much lower than both.

Coleman Hawkins and DGL were both 3 stars... CH wasn't even ranked, DGL was 143rd

Zens, at least, is a 4 star on 247.com, ranked higher than both at 129th and has a player rating of 90 which is also higher than both CH & DGL

Yesterday we had to hear that Jervis and Taylor of MSU are both 5 stars

Why do you guys keep lying?

 

[WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?]

Yesterday we had to hear that Jervis and Taylor of MSU are both 5 stars

Why do you guys keep lying?

You're the one who first called Williams, zens, and Brown top 100 guys. That claim isn't even close.

 

[WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?]

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Coleman Hawkins and DGL were both 3 stars... CH wasn't even ranked, DGL was 143rd

Zens, at least, is a 4 star on 247.com, ranked higher than both at 129th and has a player rating of 90 which is also higher than both CH & DGL

Yesterday we had to hear that Jervis and Taylor of MSU are both 5 stars

Why do you guys keep lying?

The 247composite is most reliable. It converges all the the data from rankings industry. Hawkins and DGL are both rated much higher than Zens.

 

[Det_Illini_fan]

“We’re not as deep a roster as this team or that unproven team.”
“We’re missing a big player at the nth spot.”

Feels like we’re grasping at straws a bit to complain about. The “problems” we’re facing now as a program is loading up on even more superior non-con opponents with prime time broadcasting deals. We’re about to have a season where we play UConn, Duke, UNC, Mizzery, and Texas Tech. Likely with another on the way.

Or that our incoming freshman aren’t all 5-star top 30 players but instead are 4-star, best in state players, who chose us because of the development they can get here. Us over their own state’s university that has some legacy and local buy-in.

Truly “Champaign” problems. Our steak is too juicy, and our lobster is too buttery. What are we going to do with all of these raw talent freshman that are higher rated than we are used to getting, and have a pathway to staying here, instead of being one and dones, and becoming collegiate stars in a couple years with heart and grit for the Orange and Blue…

 

[NarrowJ]

You're the one who first called Williams, zens, and Brown top 100 guys. That claim isn't even close.

Already been explained... no need to rehash

The 247composite is most reliable. It converges all the the data from rankings industry. Hawkins and DGL are both rated much higher than Zens.

There was no composite then, so its not a 1:1 comp

Geezus you people are intolerable, we have a top 3 team and all you can do is drone on about the guys who will barely play, literally insufferable

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

The 247composite is most reliable. It converges all the the data from rankings industry. Hawkins and DGL are both rated much higher than Zens.

I really don’t like using Keaton as an example, because I think he’s such a unicorn… BUT:

247 had Keaton at 150 and the composite had him at 261. The 247 guys love bragging about it on their YouTube shows — they were wrong, but less wrong than the others.

Adam F. has said he never saw Keaton play live until December. It was Eric Bossi, who went to go see him his senior year, and came away impressed enough to advocate for him to be ranked in their top 150 rankings.

…..

About Hawkins-DGL-Zens …. they’re all similar profile players. The composite is just a little lower on Zens, while 247 has him as a 4star and had the others as 3 stars.

 

[NarrowJ]

I also think the better conversation to be had is not what the ranking services think of the players (because, let’s be honest, they are lamen compared to a D1 coaching staff), but rather the conversation should be about whether we trust the talent evaluation of our coaching staff.

So… do we, or not?

 

[Illwinsagain]

Since people say this so loosely, let's break it down.

Our top 8: Vaaks, Coleman, Stojakovic, Mirkovic, Tomi, Z, Jake, Morillo.

Tomi and Z are graduating -- can't come back even with pending 5 for 5 -- so that's 2.

Jake isn't departing due to graduation (5 for 5), and he doesn't have the NBA potential to turn down a year of college to go to the draft, so not him. He'll either come back or transfer (regardless of which he chooses, he isn't going to the draft, and he isn't graduating).

So that leaves 5 wild cards: QC, Vaaks, Morillo, Stojakovic, Mirkovic.

To satisfy your 7 number, all 5 would have to go to the draft.

To satisfy 6, 4 would have to go to the draft.

To satisfy 5, 3 would have to go to the draft.

OK, 7 was pushing it. I can definitely see a world where QC, Vaaks, Mirk and Stojakovic go to the draft. A lot would have to go right for them, but I can see each of them doing it.