Illini Basketball 2026-2027

#1,501      
SescIllini
Haven't seen or heard much of Morillo in the highlight videos. Was impressed by him in the US vs International game.
 
#1,502      
alaskaillini
Det_Illini_fan said:
Gotta be honest, I think QC will give us some athleticism and “chip on your shoulder” grit on defense as well. Vaaks will have an improved system, along with a Crocker Defensive Scheme the others are far more acclimated to. Add to the mix Williams off the bench, a speedier tempo, and continued rim protection from the Ivisii, we could see a noticeable improvement in defense over last year.

Maybe not #1, but I don’t see why we can’t be top 10 there. And really, that feels about what we just need given the offense. Metrics don’t like our style of play though going after rebounds more than steals and slowing opposing offenses, so it might skew things, but more balance could help.

I will say though, this is the side of the ball I’ve been most nervous about in the off season. Offense I feel strong with the playmakers and shot creators we have. Defensively, if we can create more literal stops this year we are a definitive natty contender.
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I like it.
 
#1,503      
jamarvelous31
LvilleILL1 said:
We will see. This is far from over either way from what I have heard.
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I still think this was the most foreseeable outcome of this, to the point that it almost seems intentional by the NCAA to have another piece of "chaos" to point to and beg for legislative help.

All of their losses have been about not limiting folks' economic rights in an arbitrary way and saying one group gets 5 years but not the other is wildly arbitrary.
 
#1,505      
Calvin
jamarvelous31 said:
I still think this was the most foreseeable outcome of this, to the point that it almost seems intentional by the NCAA to have another piece of "chaos" to point to and beg for legislative help.

All of their losses have been about not limiting folks' economic rights in an arbitrary way and saying one group gets 5 years but not the other is wildly arbitrary.
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Amazing how far the pendulum has swung towards the athletes. The NCAA was feared for so long time with their tremendous power over athletes through eligibility. What money they got had to be under the table.
 
#1,507      
BretMyBeachHouse
Calvin said:
Amazing how far the pendulum has swung towards the athletes. The NCAA was feared for so long time with their tremendous power over athletes through eligibility. What money they got had to be under the table.
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The NCAA got 1.1 billion for the rights to the tournament. They got plenty of money over the table.
 
#1,510      
EmeraldCityIllini
Cravingschampaign said:
Give me a tie that ends with both teams winning

https://twitter.com/x/status/2083595408454930470
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Keaton and Domask are super close offensively IMO (meant to be a huge compliment to Marcus). And TSJ the best college player of the group by far.

But i actually think i pick 2025-26 pretty easily. That 2024 group was down at 80th defensively. Last year's roster would just be too big and would require Guerrier and Coleman to hit a crazy amount of three's and i straight up don't think Ty could have played.

That said, I think 2024 was a masterclass of a coaching year by Brad. Talent wise, they really weren't final four worthy, But he spammed TSJ, and turned Domask into a superstar. For my money, they ended the year as the 3rd best team in the sport, which is kinda wild.
 
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