Previous Message

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/big-ten-basketball-rankings-tiers/

Tier 1: National Title contenders

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

G Stefan Vaaks (Providence transfer)
G Quentin Coleman
Wing Andrej Stojakovic
F David Mirkovic
C Tomi Ivisic
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.