Illinois’ offseason has made waves. With coach Brad Underwood and his staff taking a recruiting approach centered around international prospects, the Illini have one of the most unique roster makeups in the country, and they will potentially enter next season with the most foreign-born players of any squad in college basketball.
But while the recruiting methods have shifted in the wake of NIL and the transfer portal, the expectations remain the same in Champaign. In the eight years since Underwood was hired at Illinois, he has rebuilt the program and ushered in a new era in which an NCAA Tournament appearance is considered the bare minimum.
Next season is no different. Although many rosters – including Illinois’ – haven’t been fully rounded out, lineups and rotations are getting closer to their final product with each passing day, and the preseason rankings continue to roll in.
Illinois Basketball 2025-26 Projected Lineup and Rotation: Live Roster Tracker
In On3 Sports’ latest Way Too Early Top 25, the Illini were slotted at No. 15 in the country. Illinois earned its top-15 spot with a roster headlined by its “key returns” in Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic and Ty Rodgers, and “key additions” in Zvonimir Ivisic, David Mirkovic, Mihailo Petrovic and Andrej Stojakovic.
KYLAN BOSWELL WOW 🤯
He had the defender LOST on the hesi 😵💫#MarchMadness @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/GhbT2YAdyC
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2025
On3 slots the Illini after a pair of Big Ten rivals in Purdue (No. 3) and Michigan (No. 8). Although there will undoubtedly be movement in preseason rankings ahead of next season’s tip-off, Illinois gets just one head-to-head opportunity against each of those conference opponents. The dates have yet to be finalized, but the Illini will take on the Wolverines – and ex-Illini Morez Johnson Jr. – at home, and they will travel to West Lafayette, Indiana, for a matchup with the Boilermakers.
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