2025-2026 Season Predictions Thread
- Status
Healthy 23-8
Last season injury weirdness 20-11
Last season injury weirdness 20-11
11-2 non conference
15-5 conference (2nd place)
3-0 big ten tourney
4-1 in NCAA tourney
33-8 overall
we get one of the final 2 seeds and make a run to the final four. our 1 seed will lose and we will likely face the 4 or 5 seed in the elite 8 to go to the final 4
15-5 conference (2nd place)
3-0 big ten tourney
4-1 in NCAA tourney
33-8 overall
we get one of the final 2 seeds and make a run to the final four. our 1 seed will lose and we will likely face the 4 or 5 seed in the elite 8 to go to the final 4
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Come on bro, gotta name the losses if you’re going with 12.
It could for sure!
so great run down as usual.This will probably change a lot, and I am pretty much "shooting blind" for how good the non-ranked Big Ten teams are. However, gun to my head, this is my season prediction as of today. Select commentary included!
W vs. Jackson State
W vs. FGCU
W vs. #10 Texas Tech ... I am choosing to be optimistic and believe that this team will be hungry to prove they're legit this year, and I think the electric atmosphere at SFC carries us to a close win.
W vs. Colgate
L vs. #15 Alabama ... Just have this awful feeling about this one. I hope I'm wrong, but I see a 4-0 Illini team riding high laying a bit of an egg in front of a very disappointing crowd at the UC. This was the hardest one for me to predict on an emotional level, BTW.
W vs. LIU
W vs. UT Rio Grande Valley
L vs. #4 UConn (New York, NY)
W vs. #18 Tennessee (Nashville, TN) ... I think it's one of those games where the shots are falling and we finally get that W over the Vols.
L at Ohio State ... Don't ask me why, but a Tuesday night game to start conference play on the road after an emotional win in Nashville just spells trouble to me ... hope I'm wrong.
W vs. Nebraska
W vs. Missouri (St. Louis, MO) ... Braggin' Rights is due for a team to go on a streak, and we won last year so it will be us!
W vs. Southern
--- Illini start the new year at 10-3 (1-1) and likely ranked around #17 still. ---
W vs. Penn State (Philadelphia, PA) ... This one would scare me a hell of a lot more in that environment if PSU weren't just simply really bad this year.
W vs. Rutgers
L at Iowa ... I think Iowa is underrated, the rivalry will be back in swing with the new hire there and of course I will be at this game with my friends, so things can't work out perfectly.
W at Northwestern ... I think we finally get back in the win column in Evanston.
W vs. Minnesota
W vs. Maryland ... NOT THIS YEAR, TERPS!
L at #1 Purdue
W vs. Washington
L at Nebraska ... Here is your dud performance for the year!
W vs. Northwestern ... But we don't look great getting that W.
W at #22 Michigan State ... Bounce-back game where we refuse to let this season be an up-and-down one like last year.
W vs. #24 Wisconsin ... Revenge for the savage beatdown in Madison last year.
W vs. Indiana ... We FOR ONCE look like we are pumped up and ready to go for a Sunday morning game!
L at USC ... One of those total letdown performances where we just look sluggish.
L at #12 UCLA ... And the fans begin to freak out after the 0-2 West Coast trip!
W vs. #7 Michigan ... We don't lose to Michigan anyway, but these guys aren't going to let Morez leave Champaign with a victory, period.
W vs. Oregon
W at Maryland ... Sweeping Maryland feels as good as anything we've experienced in a long time.
Illini head into the BTT at 23-8 (14-6), finishing 1-2 games behind Purdue for the regular season championship. We are the #2 seed in the BTT due to tie breakers, and we win the damn thing in front of a sea of orange at the United Center, determined to not let our fans witness another loss in our Home Away From Home.
We enter the NCAA Tournament at 26-8 and earn a #3 seed. Our #1 seed goes down before the Sweet Sixteen (this has happened 4 times in the last 5 NCAA Tournaments...), and we blaze ahead to the Final Four. However, we face another #1 seed as we are running out of steam and lose a similar game to our 2004 Sweet Sixteen loss to Duke - good effort but just not enough firepower.
Here's to hopin'!!
I do think we get revenge against Alabama as they should be good but take a step back. first one to 90 wins that one.
assuming we sweep Maryland is something I love but I'm not brave enough to write down.
I actually think we start a new reputation as the West Coast killers and win both those road games, following our great road trip last year. this unfortunately will be offset by 2 bone headed losses somewhere else and likely one at home.
we both have final four runs and possibe a break in matchups..... we are owed at least a few more of those. it's out there in the universe now!
I think it's really difficult to make predictions at this point. A lot will depend upon exactly how injured Mihailo Petrovic and Andrej Stojaković are. Given that Mihailo played a few minutes in the most recent scrimmage, I'm hoping that means his injury is a relatively short term thing, and that we'll see him at 100% for the Texas Tech game. We have been counting on Andrej and Mihalo to be leaders offensively. I'm not sure how competitive we can be with the best teams without them in the lineup. I think we'll know a lot more about our team once we see us play Texas Tech, presumably without Andrej.
If Andrej is healthy and playing against Alabama, I think a conference title contending season and a deep run into the elite 8 of the NCAA tourney is absolutely possible. If his injury is a lot more serious or if it's a reoccurring issue, and we're looking at having to play at least 30-40% of the season without him, then I think we're looking at being in the 4-6th place range in our conference with a finish in the sweet 16 or so of the NCAA if Andrej is healthy at the season's conclusion.
I would add that I think there are other many other unknown factors, such as how much of a contribution does Ty Rodgers make once he's healthy, how good exactly is David Mrkovic, and how good will Brandon and Keaton be this year. That's what's so exciting about this upcoming Illini basketball season to me...there are more unknown factors with so much potential than I've seen in quite some time. I'm looking forward to watching them all play out.
If Andrej is healthy and playing against Alabama, I think a conference title contending season and a deep run into the elite 8 of the NCAA tourney is absolutely possible. If his injury is a lot more serious or if it's a reoccurring issue, and we're looking at having to play at least 30-40% of the season without him, then I think we're looking at being in the 4-6th place range in our conference with a finish in the sweet 16 or so of the NCAA if Andrej is healthy at the season's conclusion.
I would add that I think there are other many other unknown factors, such as how much of a contribution does Ty Rodgers make once he's healthy, how good exactly is David Mrkovic, and how good will Brandon and Keaton be this year. That's what's so exciting about this upcoming Illini basketball season to me...there are more unknown factors with so much potential than I've seen in quite some time. I'm looking forward to watching them all play out.
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At some point Illini will lose two in a row and about 45% of the board will completely overreact declaring the season dead and a failure.
Is that the price we must pay?
I would be shocked if we played any kind of zone more than 2-3 possessions
I'll say 22-9
14-6 in BT (2nd place)
BTT champs....beat Michigan for title
high 3 seed in tourney...first final four appearance since...well, you all know
Mirk is a DAWG, Tomi is phenomenal, Andrej is intriguing, Keaton is a rising 
. Solid rotational pieces and depth.
But don't get it twisted...This is BAM-BAM's team!
Kylan's % from 3 will determine how far this team goes...
<31% RD of 32
32-35% S16
36-38% E8
>39% F4+
Here's why:
Things started to really click last year when Kylan showed the ability to get to the rim/free throw line with his physicality late last season (unfortunately this coincided with KJ's regression). If teams can't go under the screen because he's shooting the lights out...I truly don't know how you guard this team.
You sag off your man to help? Good luck with the amount of shooting around the perimeter.
This is an oversimplification but unlocking Kylan is the key to a long March run. We've got a phenomenal front court but March has always been about Veteran guard play.
. Solid rotational pieces and depth.But don't get it twisted...This is BAM-BAM's team!
Kylan's % from 3 will determine how far this team goes...
<31% RD of 32
32-35% S16
36-38% E8
>39% F4+
Here's why:
Things started to really click last year when Kylan showed the ability to get to the rim/free throw line with his physicality late last season (unfortunately this coincided with KJ's regression). If teams can't go under the screen because he's shooting the lights out...I truly don't know how you guard this team.
You sag off your man to help? Good luck with the amount of shooting around the perimeter.
This is an oversimplification but unlocking Kylan is the key to a long March run. We've got a phenomenal front court but March has always been about Veteran guard play.
I look at the end game...Most likely S16...Beyond that, as evidenced by the Florida scrimmage game (I know its only a scrimmage game) we lack physicality to dominate really good teams. We will miss Morez and Ty tremendously. As such, beyond the S16 less than 50% chance..If we miss the S16, IMHO, the season will be a huge disappointment (close to a failure) no matter how well we do in the B10..
22-9, 14-6 is my optimistic take. I think it's the easiest conference schedule we've had in years, only having to play Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue once. I think we lose both Maryland games, and win only one of our pre-conference marquee games (Alabama).
Battle89
- Cary-Grove, the better Trojan team
Is this a sequel to the movie I saw a couple months ago, starring the football team?
24-7, 16-4 in conference. Second in conference (I think Purdue goes 17-3 or better) 3 seed in the tourny and we finally make a final four run!
Most likely, yes. Like I said, this is my optimistic take. My realistic take? You don't want to know.
25-6 (2nd in B1G)
2 seed
Elite 8 and down to the buzzer for a final four
I don’t love the Texas Tech spot with main guys coming back from injury. But like the Bama matchup this year, and think we’re physical enough to hold off Tennessee.
2 seed
Elite 8 and down to the buzzer for a final four
I don’t love the Texas Tech spot with main guys coming back from injury. But like the Bama matchup this year, and think we’re physical enough to hold off Tennessee.
Have to agree. Not sure how any prediction would be more than a lucky guess with so many new pieces and a couple injured projected starters. Hamstring injuries can become chronic, and a knee...seems like a roll of the dice on both those.
That said, I think 12-8 BIG should be pretty safe with our depth, as would winning at least one of the ranked non-conf. So 20-11 seems pretty safe. I'll go 21-10 with 2 more wins in the BTT and 2 in the NCAAs. Yeah, that seems low if everyone's healthy, but I tend to keep the expectations bar a bit low heading into the season. If #17 is about right, making the S16 would be a good season.
I know you're just joking, Battle, but I've seen a few comments now that draw unfavorable parallels to the football team... and maybe all of those are jokes too? Otherwise, it's a really strange take / concern. It makes no logical sense that because our football team hasnt quite met pre-season expectations, then neither will the basketball team.
Injuries not withstanding, we have no reason not to be confident. We have the makings of a really good team - on par with or perhaps even surpassing 2024 and 2021. And I don't tend to be optimistic for the sake of being a "better fan" or for likes or whatever. All or most evidence is pointing to a really good year for us.
The other thing I'll point out is that, if you consider 2023 and 2025 to be "down years" (I do), BU has never had back to back down years since getting the program turned around.
Well, we only play 3 teams twice now since the west coast schools were added, but yes - those three (Neb, Maryland and NW) are all considered towards the bottom this year. We also get Purdue, MSU and UCLA on the road, given those would be tough games even at home. So it probably give us a higher floor, with a realistic shot at going undefeated at home if we can beat Michigan, then if we can go 5-5 or 6-4 on the road that likely puts us in first round bye territory. But playing 3 of the top 4 teams in the conference on the road only likely means we're not winning the conference either.
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