The Illinois basketball program is entering the 2026-27 campaign with something that has been extremely rare.
We have national title expectations. While I have been hyperbolic in the past, this might be the first time since the early 2000s that the Illini have been one of the favorites to bring home the championship, sitting at +1400 and the fourth-best odds.
Illinois is coming off a Final Four appearance for the first time in 20 years. Brad Underwood took to the mic during an interview with the Big Ten Network at Big Ten Media Days and talked about how difficult it was to get near the pinnacle.
“I know how hard it is. I have a great appreciation for how hard it is. I never take it for granted, but I have always had a belief, that if I got the opportunity, Illinois is the perfect place to do that.”
Underwood’s success has been loud. Illinois burst onto the scene in the last few years, pulling in big-time recruits, putting players in the NBA, and, most importantly, winning on the court.
This success hasn’t come without some trials and tribulations, though. Underwood didn’t leave those out of the conversation.
“I said, when I took the job, we should be playing for national championships. Now we have to go finish the job. We didn’t get it done. We have to go try to win one.”
Illinois has had a hard time getting to the top. We have seen great success, but in the nine years of the Underwood era, we just started reaching the second weekend and beyond.
The long honeymoon phase is over, and Brad Underwood has plenty of expectations with Illinois basketball
I would argue that the pre-Underwood era was so bad that just making the NCAA tournament was good enough for a while.
That isn’t the standard anymore, though. Underwood got us to the Big Dance to start the decade, and we haven’t missed the postseason since. This is the norm. The NCAA tournament is the bare minimum.
Once Illinois reached the second weekend three years ago, that changed expectations once again. The Illini making the second weekend of the NCAA tournament is what needs to happen every year. Anything short of the Sweet 16 is a disappointing campaign.
Heading into 2026-27, the expectation is now a national championship. I think Illinois has to get to multiple Final Fours and national championships to start having that as our expectation full-time. But, for one season, title dreams are expected to become a reality.
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