It is crazy to think that the Illinois basketball team begins the 2025-26 season on Monday.
The Illini are poised for a big year. We are already ranked No. 17 in the nation, and the talent Brad Underwood has assembled should have the fanbase pretty excited.
With some solid returning players and a nice haul of newcomers, the Illinois lineup will look different this season. You are going to see some new faces, and there will be a lot of names that will take time to pronounce. But nonetheless, the season will be fun.
Here is the projected Illinois basketball lineup for the 2025-26 season
No. 1 Guard
- Starter: Mihailo Petrovic
Illinois basketball has a great point guard waiting in the wings, and when he is healthy, Mihailo Petrovic will be our starting No. 1 guard. The Serbian came over to the United States after spending his career overseas. Last season, he averaged 14.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game.
Petrovic just got cleared by the NCAA. The 22-year-old sophomore will make a big impact on the Illini, but he won’t suit up in game one, as he is dealing with some lingering hamstring issues. He should rest up and be unleashed on the big boys in a couple of weeks.
- Backup: Keaton Wagler
With Petrovic on the mend, Illinois will go with Kylan Boswell as the No. 1 guard until he is healthy. But for the sake of this article, I have Keaton Wagler as the backup at the No. 1 guard spot.
Wagler and Brandon Lee, for that matter, will be solid backcourt rotational pieces for the Illini. They can be shifted around anywhere in the backcourt, and that is why I have Wagler behind Petrovic. You are going to see a healthy dose of the freshmen this season.