Illinois basketball is looking to make an impact this season, and they have the roster to do so.
Shauna Green has numerous players returning this season, led by Berry Wallace. She has a chance to be a first-team All-American, and with her leadership, Illinois could reach heights we have never seen before.
The Illini are already achieving feats this season that haven’t been seen since the turn of the century.
On Tuesday afternoon, the AP Top 25 released their preseason rankings. Illinois checks in as the No. 23 team in the country.
Being ranked is an achievement alone. That doesn’t happen often for this program, but Green has secured one of the top 25 spots. In fact, this is the second time in the last three seasons that Illinois has been ranked to start their campaign. That has only happened one other time in program history from 1997 through 1999.
What is also impressive is that Illinois now sees another preseason top 25 poll. Green owns two of these, with the last one coming in 2023. As a program, the Illini have only started a season ranked five times. That makes it even crazier that Green owns two of the five over 46 years.
Illinois basketball brought back an impressive roster from a great run last season
Starting the 2026-27 season in the AP Top 25 didn’t come out of nowhere. This is something that was expected after a great campaign last season.
Illinois was able to crack the top 25 for the fourth straight season and made the NCAA tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. Green also got the Orange and Blue one step away from the second weekend, which is the bare-minimum goal in 2026-27.
Most of that team is back. That is why Illinois is in the top 25. Wallace is an elite player. Cearah Parchment and Destiny Jackson have a full year under their belts. Gretchen Dolan is back and healthy.
Illinois is deeper than any basketball team in program history. We are literally going at least nine deep this season. That is essentially having a full second rotation of talent.
I mentioned that the second weekend is the bare minimum goal for Illinois this season. I mean that. This team has the potential to not only make the Sweet 16, but it wouldn’t shock me to see an Elite 8 trip or better. That is how much belief I have in this squad.
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