The moments Illinois basketball created from the 2025-26 season will last in my memory forever.
This was one of the best teams in program history, as the Illini managed to reach the Final Four for the first time in over two decades. With returning players and great additions, Brad Underwood has Illinois laced with expectations for the 2026-27 campaign.
It is always hard to follow a Final Four run with another deep NCAA tournament showing, but that is what is on Underwood's shoulders this season. The first reveal of the preseason AP Top 25 gives now-No. 3 Illinois all of the tools to get back to that point and maybe even deeper.
Illinois’ 2026-27 season isn’t loaded with cupcake teams. Underwood has numerous big-time programs on the schedule, and this will enable the Illini to have the NCAA tournament-level experience needed to make another deep run in March and April.
In the first eight days of the season, Illinois will be on the road against No. 19 Texas Tech. That game could be a preview of a Sweet 16 or Elite 8 matchup.
Illinois then has a road game against No. 2 Duke and a neutral-site game against No. 4 UConn in a stretch of two weeks to end November and begin December. Those two games could easily be a Final Four or, potentially, a national championship matchup.
The Illinois basketball Big Ten season doesn’t get any easier
I am happy with how hard the non-conference looks right now. Going up against three top-20 teams, two of which are top-five programs, is exactly how Illinois can gauge whether we are a title contender. That is the expectation this season. A title.
Once Illinois enters Big Ten season, things don’t get any easier for the Orange and Blue.
In a stretch from January 27 through February 9, Illinois plays five games, four of which are against top-25 programs. We play No. 21 USC, No. 22 UCLA, No. 6 Michigan State, and No. 16 Michigan. The lone non-ranked opponent is a random non-conference game against blue-blood North Carolina.
By season’s end, Illinois is going to be battle-tested. That is exactly what we need to meet the highest expectations the program has ever had.
Will the Illini bring home our first national championship? That will be answered sometime in April. What I do know is that Illinois will have the schedule to get prepared for tough battles in the NCAA tournament. Expectations are high, and Illinois has a golden opportunity to meet those expectations with this gauntlet of a schedule.
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