Illini Basketball 2026-2027

#1      

Dan

Dan
Admin
Dan
Welcome to the Illini Basketball thread :illinois:

Tickets Info


Reported Non-Conference Games

DateOpponentLocationInfo
Tue, Nov 10at Texas TechUnited Supermarkets Arena (Lubbock, TX)Link
Tue, Nov 17at DukeCameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, NC)Link
Fri, Dec 4UConnUnited Center (Chicago, IL)Link
MissouriEnterprise Center (St. Louis, MO)


IL Big Ten Opponents
Home & Away: Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin
Home only: Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA, USC
Away only: Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rutgers, Washington



IL Returnees
David Mirkovic
Tomislav Ivisic
Zvonimir Ivisic
Jake Davis
Andrej Stojakovic
Jason Jakstys
Blake Fagbemi

IL Newcomers
Ethan Brown
Landon Davis
Lucas Morillo
Zavier Zens
Quentin Coleman
Stefan Vaaks


Last year
Non-conference schedule released on August 18th
Big Ten schedule released on September 18th
Time & TV info released on October 7th
 
#2      
21ChampaignSt
Replying to @thefalcon5 post from the previous thread.

"Really hard to not be super excited for this season. Still crazy to me we are coming off a final four and are essentially a consensus top 5 team in the country."

We're entering unprecedented territory for our program.

That Final Four -> preseason top 5 combo has never happened.

This will be the 8th straight year we've appeared in the AP poll - our longest streak since we appeared in 13 in a row from 1949 to 1961.

This will (probably) be the fourth time we've been ranked in the preseason top 5 ('05, '02, '85).

This will (probably) be the third time since the 50s* that we've appeared in the top 5 in back to back years (01-02 and 89-90).

*Starting in 1949 we had a stretch where we appeared in the top 5 in 8 of 9 seasons, including a streak of 7 straight. Different times but still impressive.
 
#3      
RollChief
Replying to @Fly Illini Fly! :

Illini Basketball 2026-2027

The 2020-21 pre-season is an interesting comparison... We were #8 in that year's pre-season AP poll, and T-#10 in pre-season odds (according to covers.com archives). But our pre-season odds were +1400, which is right around (if not slightly better than) where we are now. That year, Gonzaga and...
www.illinoisloyalty.com www.illinoisloyalty.com

This is probably my favorite announcer's jinx of all time.
 
#5      
RollChief
21ChampaignSt said:
Replying to @thefalcon5 post from the previous thread.

"Really hard to not be super excited for this season. Still crazy to me we are coming off a final four and are essentially a consensus top 5 team in the country."

We're entering unprecedented territory for our program.

That Final Four -> preseason top 5 combo has never happened.

This will be the 8th straight year we've appeared in the AP poll - our longest streak since we appeared in 13 in a row from 1949 to 1961.

This will (probably) be the fourth time we've been ranked in the preseason top 5 ('05, '02, '85).

This will (probably) be the third time since the 50s* that we've appeared in the top 5 in back to back years (01-02 and 89-90).

*Starting in 1949 we had a stretch where we appeared in the top 5 in 8 of 9 seasons, including a streak of 7 straight. Different times but still impressive.
Click to expand...
It would be awesome to see QC go off in the FIBA AmeriCup and further boost our stock for next year...
 
#6      
BretMyBeachHouse
21ChampaignSt said:
Replying to @thefalcon5 post from the previous thread.

"Really hard to not be super excited for this season. Still crazy to me we are coming off a final four and are essentially a consensus top 5 team in the country."

We're entering unprecedented territory for our program.

That Final Four -> preseason top 5 combo has never happened.

This will be the 8th straight year we've appeared in the AP poll - our longest streak since we appeared in 13 in a row from 1949 to 1961.

This will (probably) be the fourth time we've been ranked in the preseason top 5 ('05, '02, '85).

This will (probably) be the third time since the 50s* that we've appeared in the top 5 in back to back years (01-02 and 89-90).

*Starting in 1949 we had a stretch where we appeared in the top 5 in 8 of 9 seasons, including a streak of 7 straight. Different times but still impressive.
Click to expand...
Are you talking 8 straight preseason? Because we didn’t finish in the poll in 23 or 25. The final poll is really the only one that matters.
 
#9      
ptgrd23
Expectations are sky high coming off Final 4 / elite 8

1985 E8 - returned 4 starters from elite 8 team - Douglas 3rd team All American, Winters, Montgomery and Altenberger. Lost 5'11" glue guy Quinn Richardson -- Lost in sweet 16 to GTech team with Mark Price and John Salley

1990 FF - returned Gill, Bardo, and Liberty. lost 1st round to Dayton

2006 Finals - returned Brown, Augustine Lost 2nd round to Washington

2025 E8 - returned no starters, lost 2nd round to Kentucky

2027 FF4 - returning 3 starters - Tomas, Andrej and David. Bring back rotation players Big Z and Jake. You need luck as well as peaking at right time to get FF. Our 2026 luck was VCU knocking out 6th seed UNC and Iowa knocking off #1 seed Florida and #4 seed Nebraska.

Its hard to get back. That is what defines elite programs in past 6 years only 3 teams have made it more than once

UConn 3X in 4 years
Duke 2X in 5 years
 
#10      
Fly Illini Fly!
Dan said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2061432589596954634
Click to expand...
“Andrej Stojakovic played with the stress levels of Illinois fans a couple of times this offseason: First, he announced his intention to return to Champaign just before the transfer portal deadline, then entered the NBA draft -- and waited until the final hours to withdraw from the draft. But now that he is officially back as a member of the Illini, Brad Underwood's quest for back-to-back Final Fours can begin. Stojakovic joins returnees David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic and Jake Davis. Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks and top-25 recruit Quentin Coleman anchor the backcourt.

Projected starting lineup

Quentin Coleman (No. 23 in SC Next 100)
Stefan Vaaks (15.8 PPG at Providence)
Andrej Stojakovic (13.5 PPG)
David Mirkovic (13.6 PPG)
Tomislav Ivisic (10.2 PPG)“
 
#11      
Fly Illini Fly!
Fly Illini Fly! said:
https://twitter.com/x/status/2061458850486563153
Click to expand...

“1. Illinois​

2025-26 record: 28-9, 15-5 in Big Ten play.

Postseason: Lost in the Final Four to UConn.

Projected 2026-27 starting lineup

Top bench options: F Jake Davis, C Zvonimir Ivisic, G Lucas Morillo, G Ethan Brown, F Zavier Zens, F Jason Jakstys

The scoop: Illinois has one of the highest floors in the Big Ten because its strengths travel every night. The Illini will be one of the biggest teams in the Big Ten, featuring a top-eight rotation that is littered with seven guys who are 6-foot-6 or taller. It will be the best-shooting frontcourt in the Big Ten, which pulls shot-blockers away from the paint. It will also be one of the elite rebounding squads.

Size, shooting and rebounding give you a chance to win every night, and there's beauty in balance. Illinois' entire starting 5 is capable of getting 15-to-18 points, based on the matchup.

Illinois may not have a lottery pick guard on the roster like Keaton Wagler, but it still has arguably the best personnel in the league. High-feel forward David Mirkovic is primed to dominate after a Big Ten Freshman of the Year-worthy campaign that was overshadowed by Wagler's excellence. The 6-foot-9 polar bear is a quote machine, and his game backs it all up as a big playmaker who can shoot, drive, rebound and pass. Andrej Stojakovic is back to find the weakest defender and put 'em in a blender again. Sharpshooting wing Jake Davis and the center platoon of Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic stuck around, too. Xavier's Jovan Milicevic was the only high-major center to make more 3s than Tomi Ivisic last year (50).

The guard play will determine whether Illinois is just a good team or a great team again. Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks is going to be the Money Man. The 6-foot-7 guard was one of the best offensive players in the portal, combining expert pull-up shooting with shrewd feel as a playmaker. Some of the shot selection was iffy, and the defense was an abomination at times, but Illinois can clean up those fixable things. If Vaaks can play clean basketball, Illinois will be in a position to win this league, and five-star freshman guard Quentin Coleman should be an overqualified fourth or fifth option from the jump.

There's a chance Illinois isn't quite as good as last year on either end, but the floor is just so ridiculously high because of the rebounding and the balance. It will just have nights where Keaton Wagler's knack for basically depositing every single shot will be missed.”
 
#12      
Fly Illini Fly!
My guess would be both Andrej and David make the Preseason All BIG 1st team.

— Fears
— Cadeau
— Sandfort
— Andrej
— Mirk
 
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