Illini Basketball 2026-2027
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
Appreciate Brad just coming right out & saying what the goal is. That should absolutely be the target. Might not hit it but f it lets shoot for it. Some coaches seem to shy away from that stuff. I don't think you ever get there unless you are willing to come right out & say that is the singular goal. Other things could be nice & it doesn't mean the season is a total failure if that doesn't happen. But make that the singular focus of the operation.
Tyler’s just meeting to learn from the NBA teams, right?… right??
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
Big Z is now going to be known as Bigger Z.
protect the rim has to be our defensive identity
vaaks takes very few 2s.
mostly 3s and ball handling / passing.
mostly 3s and ball handling / passing.
Been saying it for years on here. The reason I believed Brad would get us to a Final Four (or one of the reasons) is because he actually stated that as a goal / expectation of himself and the program. His predecessors always had more of an "Aww shucks, we're just going to try our best and worry about that when the time comes" mentality.
I'm not talking about "speaking positive things into existence." But when you have someone in charge who has high expectations of themselves - meaning they actually believe in their ability to accomplish x,y,z goal. It's more likely that you're going to accomplish x,y,z goal.
Well, anybody can say it. I remember the Northwestern football coach -- ever so firmly and vigorously -- stating that their "goal" is to win the Big Ten Championship (and me laughing hysterically).
It's one thing to say it; it's another thing to legitimately be in contention for it and capable of it.
We're at a point in our program where saying that isn't a bluff statement. (which is really all we can ask for)
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Guess I was also on the Big Z plan my freshman year at Bromley Hall.
Curbelo Fanboy
BERTBALL IS LIFE
Yep - I bet the list of teams who won a title without that being their primary expressed goal is pretty much nil. Saying it doesn't make it happen but when you set that as the goal or expectation & drive every decision toward that end you have a much better chance of seeing it thru to completion.
Joel Goodson
- it's all ball bearings, nowadays
Any further insight to how Ethan Brown has looked? I know Brad said he’s learning the weight room and is a freshman, but i remember hearing he might be another really underrated freshman
Orangetool
Give me back my Afta, heh heh
Nicely done.
Scooped up my Vaaks & Mirkovic Wooden Award futures today 
This clip is like crack to all Illini hoops addicts at just the right time. But it is too brief....4-5 hours would be about right.
RabidDawgClassic
- Los Angeles, CA
Back in the late 90s, as the internet was in its infancy, I told my brother I wanted wall to wall, nonstop Illini coverage. I said, “I want to know everything about Illinois basketball. If Sergio McClain had Cheerios for breakfast instead of Corn Flakes, I want to know it.”
Funny how we’re kinda there now.
.....
"3. Illinois Fighting Illini
Impact newcomer: Stefan Vaaks
Coach Brad Underwood will be wholly reliant on his incoming group on the perimeter, with Vaaks and five-star freshman Quentin Coleman manning the backcourt. Both players are capable of playing on or off the ball, but Vaaks showed real playmaking chops during his freshman season at Providence. He had 20-plus points against St. John's twice and Villanova twice, and his 6-foot-7 size causes issues for defenders.
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)"
I've landed on 4 being the right number for me.
When you do these rankings, what matters most of anything is elite traits (offense / defense). Illinois is most likely the best offense in the country, as Torvik projects. That immediately gives them a high ranking.
Florida and Duke should be top 5 in both, so having Illinois above them I wouldn't agree with at all. (Our defense is likely going to be in the 20s, maybe late teens, especially since we lost our two best defenders in Ben and Kylan)
After those two I don't see any "top 5 in both" teams, but UCONN is right on that cusp, and could be TOP 10 in both. Plus, considering they've beaten us over and over, they should be ahead.
Michigan lost 3 lottery picks. There's too much "projecting" with that roster. And, they lost their coach, so I wouldn't have them ahead of us.
Of course none of this is set in stone on July 1st, as always the case with preseason roster outlooks.
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Stevegarbs
- Mokena, IL
The place is going to be packed. I upped my IFund donation and all I was able to do was move around to center court with the TV view, 200s row 15. No chance to move down rows, and was only one section off of center court last season.
The post moves point firmly falls in the "disease of more" category.
So much of this "potential" is just shooting. His rebounding went up dramatically ALONG WITH leading the nation in 2 point %.
If Z shot 38% from 3 just like he did at ARK, everyone would be ecstatic about his production.
If Tomi shot 35.7% from 3 just like he did in 2025, no one would've thought he took a "step back" (yeah the points would be down, much of which has to do with how good a team your on).
If Z shoots 38% from 3 again next season, then that probably solidifies him as a draft pick (along with fulfilling your observation of so much being "untapped")
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Who do we expect to be the #6thMan? (judged by minutes/game)
It feels like Jake / Morillo / Z all have a 1/3 chance at the moment.
A lot might be predicted on who lands majority of the non Mirk minutes at the 4.
It feels like Jake / Morillo / Z all have a 1/3 chance at the moment.
A lot might be predicted on who lands majority of the non Mirk minutes at the 4.