3 Important Illinois Basketball Questions Ahead of the Baylor Exhibition

Illinois’ second of three exhibition games takes place on Friday against Baylor in Champaign (7 p.m. CT, B1G+). The Illini are coming off a 105-96 victory at Cincinnati and will face a much different foe in the Bears.

Here are three important questions we have about Illinois before the 2026-27 season gets underway:

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood gets after his team Saturday, April 4, 2026, during a Final Four game against the UConn Huskies at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Can the Illini do a better job on the defensive glass?

Illinois reached its offensive rebounding goal against Cincinnati (though it could have done even better). The Illini’s defensive rebounding against the Bearcats, on the other hand, left much to be desired.

Cincy snagged 12 offensive rebounds and flipped them into 12 points. Meanwhile, Baylor, taking on one of the best rebounding teams in the country in Florida, reeled in 12 offensive rebounds of its own on Sunday.

With the Illini’s size, athleticism and coach Brad Underwood’s consistent emphasis on rebounding, they shouldn't be consistently allowing teams to get multiple shots on one possession. (Interestingly, Illinois’ defensive rebounding rate was just No. 27 in the country in 2025-26. It was No. 3 in offensive rebounding rate.)

Who will get the start at guard: Ethan Brown or Stefan Vaaks?

In the postgame press conference following the Illini win at Cincinnati, Underwood detailed his decision to give freshman Ethan Brown the start over transfer Stefan Vaaks.

It seemed to be a reward for Brown sitting atop – or near – an Illinois practice leaderboard, but Underwood also made it clear Brown is deserving of significant minutes, regardless. And Brown’s play – 15 points and five rebounds – backed up that sentiment.

But Vaaks is Vaaks. He’s an elite shooter, adept at getting to the basket and a top-notch facilitator. He was Illinois’ prized – and lone – get in the portal, and he is expected to carry a large portion of the overall offensive load.

Also, Vaaks put up 19 points in 19 minutes on efficient shooting (7-for-13) against Cincinnti. Underwood seems to be pleased with Vaaks’ progress as a defender and rebounder.

It’ll be interesting to see who gets the nod on Friday, but, either way, it would be a shock to see Vaaks shut out of the starting lineup come the regular-season opener.

Will Illinois or Baylor control the pace?

Baylor plays slow. Illinois, at least against Cincinnati, played fast. Something has to give. One of the most overlooked abilities in basketball is a lead guard’s knack for controlling the pace.

Think back to Keaton Wagler a year ago. He dictated the tempo of the game in nearly every outing in which he played. And when he didn’t – at UCLA (Donovan Dent), against Wisconsin (Nick Boyd and John Blackwell), even at Michigan State (Jeremy Fears Jr.) – the Illini lost.

Someone like Fears always controls the pace (that’s part of the reason he may be the best player in college basketball).

Illinois has a pair (and maybe a trio) of absolute studs in the backcourt with Quentin Coleman and Vaaks (along with Brown). But do any of them have that innate ability to control the pace of a game? Baylor guard Kayden Mingo seems to have it. We’ll see if an Illini guard can win that tug of war against Mingo on Friday.

Add us as a preferred source on Google