3 Big Concerns for Illinois Basketball Entering the 2026-27 Season

The Illini should be one of the best teams in the country, but they aren't a finished product – especially on one end of the floor

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood yells down court Thursday, March 19, 2026, during the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament first round game against the Penn Quakers at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, South Carolina. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Life isn’t all sunshine and rainbows, but it certainly feels that way in Champaign – at least when it comes to Illinois hoops. With Illini Nation still riding the euphoric high of a Final Four run, it’s also looking ahead to a 2026-27 campaign for which it can rightfully hope for even more.

But although Illinois will enter next season every bit a juggernaut and national title contender, coach Brad Underwood doesn't gave to dig far to find areas for improvement. Here are three potential areas of concern for the Illini going into the 2026-27 season:

Three concerns for Illinois basketball in 2026-27

Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) guards Wisconsin guard John Blackwell (25) during the second half of their quarterfinal game in the Big Ten tournament Friday, March 13, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois. Wisconsin beat Illinois 91-88. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Generating defensive pressure

Last season Illinois hung its hat on keeping opponents off the free-throw line (No. 1 in free-throw rate allowed). But there was a drawback: The Illini’s forced turnover percentage was dead last in the country. Ideally, Illinois can toe the line somewhere in the middle – which, based on recent comments, may be Underwood’s intention for next season.

With the Illini’s size and length, they don’t need to put themselves in fouling positions to create chaos. Sitting in passing lanes, playing with active hands, simply staying aware and anticipating – all of it will allow Illinois to generate more turnovers (blocks count, too). 

Zvonimir Ivisic BLOCK 😤 @IlliniMBB

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/OUkhnCj4Vi

— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 4, 2026

On top of that, strictly in terms of on-ball pressure, the Illini should ramp it up (which may be tougher without Kylan Boswell). Wing Andrej Stojakovic may embrace that defensive stopper role, but Illinois needs to find a way to apply more defensive pressure on the ball across the board. The only issue: The Illini’s exceptional size translates to less foot speed, which makes it tougher to deploy consistent on-ball pressure. 

In scenarios when the Illini have a lead – which was fairly often a season ago and that trend is likely to continue next year – they are perfectly content to sit back, not foul, apply minimal pressure and simply yield nothing easy. But if the Illini ever find themselves in a hole, they’ll be unable to dig themselves out if they don’t at least toy around with aggressive schemes once in a while.

Reliance on production from freshmen

July 19, 2025; North Augusta, South Carolina, USA; Brad Beal Elite Quentin Coleman (1) gestures to a teammate as Team Durant Evans Barning Jr. (7) defends during the Brad Beal Elite and Team Durant game at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam at Riverview Park Activity Center. Brad Beal Elite won 91-59. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale - Augusta Chronicle/USA TODAY NETWORK | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

"The Retention" proved successful this offseason. The Illini returned five rotation players, and they also brought in big-time transfer Stefan Vaaks. That totals six projected rotation players. Five-star freshman Quentin Coleman is expected to push that number to seven, meaning Illinois is going to need production out of (at least) one other freshman.

With a high school class of six recruits and given Underwood’s proven eye for talent, the Illini will presumably have a college-ready contributor (if not multiple) not named Coleman in that crew. 

But what about Coleman? He may be ultra-polished and a lauded decision-maker, but he’s still a freshman. And it’s not a secret: veteran guards win in March. The Illini are going to need Coleman to provide value, but if he is forced to be their primary backcourt option – which, admittedly, seems unlikely – then the ceiling will remain high, but perhaps not national championship high. 

Ball-screen defense

Feb 1, 2026; Lincoln, Nebraska, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) and center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) celebrate after a shot in the first half against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Pinnacle Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Dylan Widger-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Offense is rarely a problem for Illinois. Dislike the matchup-hunting, iso-ball, no-off-ball-movement approach if you want, but the Illini can score. Underwood, between his scheme and personnel, makes sure of that.

Defensively, though, there are some question marks – one of which is Illinois’ ball-screen defense. At times in 2025-26, the Illini were carved up by opposing ball-handlers in the pick-and-roll (Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr.’s masterpiece leaps to mind).

The main culprit(s): drop coverage and the Ivisic twins. Given their size, and despite Zvonimir boasting slightly better lateral agility than his twin brother Tomislav, the Illini seemingly feel they have no choice but to stick in drop coverage.

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) and center Tomislav Ivisic (13) react in the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Unfortunately, that often leads to one of two results: 1) Guards snake the screen, get an Illini defender on their back and work themselves into the lane before getting off an open floater, spraying to an open teammate for three or tossing a lob to a big man (think Fears or UCLA’s Donovan Dent) or 2) midrange maestros simply step into a comfortable pull-up jumper.

Naturally, Illinois is going to be opposed to switching ball-screen coverages entirely (surely, the Ivisic twins didn’t miraculously stumble into running-back-like agility over the past few months) – which means the Illini must slightly alter their current setup.

Add a dig from the wing, put an emphasis on guards quickly getting through screens or get creative in some capacity – whatever it winds up being, Illinois must implement a few minor tweaks to ensure it isn’t once again heavily vulnerable against ball-screen action.