It’s hard to think of a time where expectations have been higher in Champaign.
In his updated 2026–27 Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings, ESPN’s Jeff Borzello has Illinois slotted at No. 3. If this holds into the fall, it will mark just the fourth time in program history, and the first since the 2004-05 season, that the Fighting Illini enter a season ranked in the preseason Top 5.
Notably, this ranking came out before the Illini announced David Mirkovic underwent surgery last week. It is reported he will only be out for 6 to 8 weeks.
Illinois has earned the high off-season praise. After a summer of retaining the core of Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic and Jake Davis, a group that went to their first final four since 2005. They also managed to acquire immense high school and transfer portal talent to compliment the already experienced core. Brad Underwood has built a roster with both a high floor and a massive ceiling, so it shouldn’t be a surprise to see the Illini this high in the preseason polls.
Illinois will have an early season test vs UConn at the United Center, which Borzello noted as the key non-conference matchup of the season. He also projected the starting lineup as:
- Quentin Coleman (No. 24 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)
It’s always fun looking at preseason projections and seeing which teams hold on to their rankings when the season officially begins. The full ESPN Way-Too-Early Top 25 is as follows:
- Florida Gators
- Duke Blue Devils
- Illinois Fighting Illini
- Texas Longhorns
- Uconn Huskies
- Tennessee Volunteers
- Arizona Wildcats
- Michigan Wolverines
- Michigan State Spartans
- Arkansas Razorbacks
- USC Trojans
- Louisville Cardinals
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Alabama Crimson Tide
- St. John’s Red Storm
- Houston Cougars
- Miami Hurricanes
- Missouri Tigers
- Kentucky Wildcats
- UCLA Bruins
- Vanderbilt Commodores
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Nebraska Cornhuskers
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Gonzaga Bulldogs
The Big Ten is shaping up to be a gauntlet once again, featuring six teams in the preseason top 25 and three cracking the top 10. While early season polls are bound to shift as the games unfold, there is no denying the conference’s depth and elite talent heading into the fall.
Illinois will officially start their high-expectation campaign at home when they host Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday, Nov. 2.
