Illinois basketball just wrapped up its most successful season in over two decades, as Brad Underwood and his staff assembled a versatile, tough, smart roster that overshot expectations both in the regular season and the postseason.
“Portal Kombat,” as Orlando Antigua calls it, will be a key time for the Illini. Retention of key pieces will be the primary focus due to the premium players with remaining eligibility.
However, the backcourt could use a bit more skill and experience. The arrivals of Ethan Brown, Lucas Morillo, and Quentin Coleman add a mix of size, skill, and shooting. The precocious trio could be a multi-year crew for an Illini squad losing at least Kylan Boswell and (likely) All-American Keaton Wagler.
Which leads to Acaden Lewis.
NEWS: Villanova guard Acaden Lewis will enter the @TransferPortal and declare for the NBA Draft while maintaining his eligibility, he told @On3.
— Joe Tipton (@JoeTipton) April 5, 2026
The 6-foot-2 freshman averaged 12.2 points, 5.3 assists, and 1.9 steals per game this season, earning All-Big East Second Team honors.… pic.twitter.com/ShR9R5u7Vy
Lewis is a rising sophomore who played for Kevin Willard’s Villanova squad in 2025-26 as a true freshman. He was previously committed to Kentucky, but sought greener on-court pastures when the Wildcats continued recruiting primary ballhandlers after his commitment.
Lewis is a classic lead guard. He’s a pass-first, high-IQ player who averaged 5.3 assists per game as a freshman. He also notched a spot on the All-Big East second-team last season, aided by his 12.2 points and 1.9 steals per game.
An Illinois team that spent weeks being last in the nation in steals, Lewis' ability as the tip of the defensive spear at 6-foot-2 could be a more aggressive version of the frequently excellent defense provided by Boswell.
His size enables him to play with Quentin Coleman (6-foot-4) and Lucas Morillo (6-foot-7) in a three-guard look.
Congratulations to our own @_lucasmorillo on being selected for the @nikehoopsummit World Team 🌎 #CRFam 🟠 pic.twitter.com/a3q1Ietln8
— CityRocksBasketball (@TheCityRocks) March 27, 2026
Acaden Lewis has the numbers that should make Illinois basketball coaches intrigued
And for Neel Ganta and the analytics-driven Illini player acquisition crew, the advanced stats love him.
- True shooting percentage: 55.2%.
- Effective field goal percentage: 52.5%.
- Offensive rating: 124.0.
- Defensive rating: 102.6.
- Net rating: 21.3.
- Usage rate: 23.2%.
- Assist percentage: 35.6%.
- Steal percentage: 3.3%.
- Rebound percentage: 13.6%
To be clear, Lewis has entered the NBA draft while keeping the option to transfer open if he chooses another college season.
And yes, he will have dozens of high-level suitors. He’s a Washington DC native, and there is a coach up the road in College Park, Maryland, who loves guards with defensive intensity. Competition for the young man’s services will be fierce.
However, few offenses in the country give guards the kind of freedom that Lewis could get at Illinois.
Furthermore, he’s the kind of true “Every Day Guy” that Brad Underwood seeks as foundational pieces.
Ty Rodgers-level basketball character with Boswell-esque basketball IQ would be the most familiar way to describe Lewis’ game to an Illini fan who hasn’t seen him play.
Illinois could absolutely rock with a cerebral conduit to amplify the starpower of a potential David Mirkovic-Andrej Stojakovic duo.
Lewis could be the two-way anchor for the next Illinois Final Four squad.