Illini Basketball 2026-2027

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Our last (televised) exhibition against Ole Miss was a monumental horror show.

Unfortunately, it revealed the theme for quite a few games that season: blowouts where the team had no resistance and couldn't make a shot to save their life.

 

[WhereDoWeStandWithStorr?]

Our last (televised) exhibition against Ole Miss was a monumental horror show.

Unfortunately, it revealed the theme for quite a few games that season: blowouts where the team had no resistance and couldn't make a shot to save their life.

We played too fast offensively that year

 

[Juju]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2090832618912731479

I still don't understand why the Illinois-Indiana rivalry has been relegated to a home-and-home series with only 1 game every year. If you had said that would happen back in the '80s or 2000s, well then you'd probably have Illini and Hoosier fans uniting on something for once with their hatred of that idea.

 

[PleaseMakeABowlGame]

We played too fast offensively that year

The problem was 3 point shooting. We weren't just bad; at times it was a disgrace.

Just being average would've been such a help.

Maryland was a bad matchup. So was Duke. Every other game was winnable.

 

[RabidDawgClassic]

I still don't understand why the Illinois-Indiana rivalry has been relegated to a home-and-home series with only 1 game every year. If you had said that would happen back in the '80s or 2000s, well then you'd probably have Illini and Hoosier fans uniting on something for once with their hatred of that idea.

Maybe that’ll change when Indiana gets good again.

 

[PepeSilvia]

Banger non-conference schedule

Nov 5th - Francon.

 

[EmeraldCityIllini]

Maybe that’ll change when Indiana gets good again.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2090885877333451002

 

[the juiceman cometh]

Maybe that’ll change when Indiana gets good again.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2091584886209445927

 

[lstewart53x3]

https://twitter.com/x/status/2091584886209445927

Hey, Kentucky broke into the top 15. Not bad for lil bro.

I'm surprised how low Gary has USC. Does he not realize how good their 9th man is?

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Hey, Kentucky broke into the top 15. Not bad for lil bro.

View attachment 51260

Well, they beat us in the tournament one year ago:



….

My biggest gripe with his ranking would be St. John’s at 18.

 

[lstewart53x3]

Well, they beat us in the tournament one year ago:

View attachment 51263

….

My biggest gripe with his ranking would be St. John’s at 18.

One calendar year ago. Two seasons ago. And then the following year, with the most expensive roster in the country, they finished at #29 in KenPom and Torvik, got a 7 seed, and lost in the second round. Meanwhile, we made the F4.

And heading into this season, we’re projected in the top 5 and they’re projected outside the top 10.

 

[March2TheArch]

Perhaps it speaks to the ascendancy of our program, I’m generally just excited by the fact that I believe any of the Top 10 teams (with us being one of them) can cut down the final April nets.

No 2024 UConn. No 2025-26 Duke (both bookie faves till they choked). No UConn 2023-24 winning 12 straight tourney games by double digits.

It’s going to be a banger of a season. I don’t think Duke or Florida are going to win their conferences easily let alone waltz to the Final Four.

Once we are healthy and in mid-season form, we can legitimately beat anyone. Really starts on the defensive side of the ball. Not worried about our ability to score.

 

[PleaseMakeABowlGame]

No 2024 UConn. No 2025-26 Duke (both bookie faves till they choked). No UConn 2023-24 winning 12 straight tourney games by double digits.

It’s going to be a banger of a season.

People say this every year, but the truth is super teams will ALWAYS emerge (especially in the NIL era).

How many could be as low as 1. Could be as high as 4.

We just don’t know WHO they will be on August 23rd. But they will be there on Selection Sunday.

Last year it was Arizona, Michigan, Duke.

 

[HoopsterMan]

Perhaps it speaks to the ascendancy of our program, I’m generally just excited by the fact that I believe any of the Top 10 teams (with us being one of them) can cut down the final April nets.

No 2024 UConn. No 2025-26 Duke (both bookie faves till they choked). No UConn 2023-24 winning 12 straight tourney games by double digits.

It’s going to be a banger of a season. I don’t think Duke or Florida are going to win their conferences easily let alone waltz to the Final Four.

Once we are healthy and in mid-season form, we can legitimately beat anyone. Really starts on the defensive side of the ball. Not worried about our ability to score.

No 2026 Michigan. Least we forget that team was loaded.

It does seem like a fairy wide open year - I actually think that Florida team hit's some exhaustion and don't think much of Fland. Duke could be really good, but not convinced Scheyer knows how to coach with out a superstud on his roster.

Speaking of bookies - is betting UConn in the tourney the surest thing in sports? Effen team has covered in 19 of their last 20 tourney games. That has to be some kind of record.

 

[Fly Illini Fly!]

Last year it was Arizona, Michigan, Duke.

Not Florida, which was the good thing about our draw.

I caught a lot of disagreeing opinions when I said this (it’s moot because we then lost to Wisconsin) — but I truly think if we won the BTT we would’ve leapfrogged FLA for that final 1.

Florida had suffered a pretty embarrassing defeat to Vandy in the SEC Tourney. That’s when it was clear how much of a gap there was after the other 1 seeds.

 

[PepeSilvia]

Not Florida, which was the good thing about our draw.

I caught a lot of disagreeing opinions when I said this (it’s moot because we then lost to Wisconsin) — but I truly think if we won the BTT we would’ve leapfrogged FLA for that final 1.

Florida had suffered a pretty embarrassing defeat to Vandy in the SEC Tourney. That’s when it was clear how much of a gap there was after the other 1 seeds.

We blew the 1 seed opportunity in February. I think they get the 2 seed Purdue got if they won the big 10 tourney.

 

[Second place is 1st loser]

Not Florida, which was the good thing about our draw.

I caught a lot of disagreeing opinions when I said this (it’s moot because we then lost to Wisconsin) — but I truly think if we won the BTT we would’ve leapfrogged FLA for that final 1.

Florida had suffered a pretty embarrassing defeat to Vandy in the SEC Tourney. That’s when it was clear how much of a gap there was after the other 1 seeds.

I don't think we would have jumped that high, but we would have had the #2 seed instead of Purdue, for sure. Ultimately, we ended up with the better, more favorable, matchups. Just goes to show that seedings don't mean everything. The bracket broke in our favor.

 

[March2TheArch]

We blew the 1 seed opportunity in February. I think they get the 2 seed Purdue got if they won the big 10 tourney.

Agreed our ceiling was a 2 seed going into the BTT. Turned out better to be a 3 seed vs. Florida and Houston vs. a 2 seed in AZ or Duke’s regional. There was a clear big 3 last year. We avoided all 3 of them till the Final Four. Then even dodged one in the Final Four thanks to a recurring Scheyer choke. And we would have faced a hobbled Michigan in the final.

If not for a few rolls/bounces the other way (Solo Ball banking in that 3, the Demery OReb > Braylon 3, Andrej’s jammed layup, Andrej double FT miss, Kylan layup…), we could have spooked Michigan in the final as a team of destiny.

 

[PleaseMakeABowlGame]

I think UConn would’ve jumped Florida if they didn’t lose to Marquette.

They beat Florida head to head.

No idea if that would’ve helped or hurt us.

 

[EmeraldCityIllini]

Agreed our ceiling was a 2 seed going into the BTT. Turned out better to be a 3 seed vs. Florida and Houston vs. a 2 seed in AZ or Duke’s regional. There was a clear big 3 last year. We avoided all 3 of them till the Final Four. Then even dodged one in the Final Four thanks to a recurring Scheyer choke. And we would have faced a hobbled Michigan in the final.

If not for a few rolls/bounces the other way (Solo Ball banking in that 3, the Demery OReb > Braylon 3, Andrej’s jammed layup, Andrej double FT miss, Kylan layup…), we could have spooked Michigan in the final as a team of destiny.

I will go to my grave grave believing we would have spooked Michigan...

The classic, you think the "meaningless" regular season game you finally won against us in a billion tries means we don't still own you, now prove it on the biggest stage. Pretty much the only way Michigan could have had the year and tournament run they had last year be totally ruined, was either by losing to us or MSU in the final.

But, alas.

 

[March2TheArch]

I will go to my grave grave believing we would have spooked Michigan...

The classic, you think the "meaningless" regular season game you finally won against us in a billion tries means we don't still own you, now prove it on the biggest stage. Pretty much the only way Michigan could have had the year and tournament run they had last year be totally ruined, was either by losing to us or MSU in the final.

But, alas.

2016 Cubs made me believe the wait just makes the eventual promiseland that much sweeter.