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5 big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Ole Miss

Illinois basketball is back in action after months off, but how will the Orange and Blue look in an exhibition game against Ole Miss?

By Rees Woodcock

Oct 3, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Illinois guard Kylan Boswell and Illinois guard/forward Ty Rodgers take a question at the podium during the 2024 Big Ten Menís Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images
Oct 3, 2024; Rosemont, IL, USA; Illinois guard Kylan Boswell and Illinois guard/forward Ty Rodgers take a question at the podium during the 2024 Big Ten Menís Basketball media day at Donald E. Stephens Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images / Melissa Tamez-Imagn Images
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Don’t look now, but the Illinois basketball team is set to take the court on Sunday.

The last time we saw the Illini suit-up, we were in the Elite 8 with hopes of making the national championship. In the second half, those hopes were dashed against the eventual back-to-back national champion UConn Huskies.

Don’t expect that team back in 2024-25, though. Only two scholarship players returned from that run, but Illinois managed to load up on some unbelievable talent.

Illini fans get to watch that talent on Sunday too. We are taking on Ole Miss in an exhibition game at 11:00 a.m. CT on the SEC Network.

This is a chance to see the new talent on display and to see what Brad Underwood is thinking for the upcoming season. There are some big questions I have for this exhibition game too.

Here are five big questions for the Illinois basketball team against Ole Miss

1. How quickly does Will Riley live up to his billing?

Illinois basketball had a pretty impressive recruiting class for 2024. We brought in a level of talent that I haven’t seen recruited at Illinois in a long time.

One of those top recruits was Will Riley. Listed at 6-foot-8, 195 pounds, Riley was a five-star recruit who was ranked as the No. 20 player in the class of 2024.

That is a big billing to live up to, though. On top of those great expectations from the recruiting sites, there are also 2025 NBA mock drafts that have Riley being selected. I have seen him being projected as a top-20 pick in next year’s draft.

It is only an exhibition game, and it is his first action with the Orange and Blue, but I will be keeping an eye on Riley and what he does against Ole Miss. He has a lot to live up to, so I am going to see how quick an impact he makes on the program.

I also want to see if Riley is more of an offensive juggernaut or if he will be a lengthy defender who is going to cause chaos for the Illini defense. There is a chance he is both. This kid has a ton of talent, and it will be interesting to see how quickly he lives up to his billing.

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