5 Stats That Show Illinois Basketball Is Having an Historic Season

From their 20-3 record to a slew of impressive individual performances, these Illini stand out from many Illinois teams of the past

Feb 4, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) reacts to a play during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

No. 5 lllinois put together its most dominant Big Ten win of the season Wednesday night, defeating Northwestern 84-44.

It was a balanced effort from coach Brad Underwood's group, with six players scoring at least nine points and the team combining to make 17 of 38 three-point attempts. The win moved Illinois into a half-game lead for first place in the Big Ten standings and further reinforced its potential as a national title contender.

Here are five stats that demonstrate how the Illini are having a historic season:

1. Another 20-win regular season

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) drives past Northwestern Wildcats forward Tre Singleton (8) at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Wednesday's win over Northwestern gave Illinois its 20th regular season win, a benchmark it has reached every season since 2019-20. Few programs can make the same claim.

In fact, only three teams have won 20-plus regular season games in each of the past seven seasons: Illinois, Gonzaga and Houston. San Diego State, off to a 16-6 start, has a chance to join that list if it can win four of its final eight regular-season games.

Gonzaga's streak dates back the longest, with at least 20 regular season wins in each season since 1997-98. Houston has done so every year since 2015-16, while San Diego State's run began in 2019-20.

Illinois also won its 92nd Big Ten conference game on Wednesday, a league high over the past seven seasons.

2. Best start in decades

Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) celebrates a win against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Illinois' 20-3 record represents its best start since the 2005-06 season, when coach Bruce Weber's group got off to a 20-2 start. (The Illini's current mark also includes a current 12-game win streak, the program's longest since 2012-13.)

The Illini will hope to turn in a stronger finish than that '05-06 Weber outfit, which lost three of its final eight regular-season games, got knocked out in its first Big Ten Tournament game and lost to Washington in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 as a No. 4 seed.

The 2012-13 season was the high point of the John Groce era. The Illini defeated three top-10 teams – No. 10 Gonzaga, No. 8 Ohio State and No. 1 Indiana – before losing to Miami in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 as a No. 7 seed.

3. Cruising through the Big Ten

Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) celebrates a 3-pointer against the Tennessee Volunteers at Bridgestone Arena. | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

The Illini are off to an 11-1 start in Big Ten play, the program's best record since the 2004-05 team won its first 15 conference games. Illinois' 10 straight Big Ten wins match Underwood's career high, which spanned two seasons, from Feb. 25, 2021 to Jan. 13, 2022.

That gives Illinois a half-game lead for first place in the Big Ten standings, ahead of No. 2 Michigan at 10-1. The Wolverines host struggling Penn State on Thursday, so they will likely move back into a tie with the Illini for first place.

There's a lot of basketball left to be played, but Illinois' home game against Michigan on Feb. 27 could go a long way in determining the Big Ten champion. It would be Illinois' first regular-season conference title since 2022. Before that, the previous one came in 2005.

And if the 2004-05 team is any indication, big things are ahead for the Illini. That team earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made the program's first and only national championship appearance, falling 75-70 to fellow No. 1 seed North Carolina.

4. Illinois freshman records at stake

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) drives against Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Sam Hoiberg (1) at Pinnacle Bank Arena. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

A big reason for Illinois' success this season is the unexpected emergence of freshman guard Keaton Wagler, who was ranked No. 261 in his class by 247Sports.

Wagler is averaging 17.9 points, putting him on pace to set the Illinois freshman scoring. That record has stood since 1993-94, when Kiwane Garris averaged 15.9 points per game. Wagler has seven 20-point games this season, closing in on Kasparas Jakucionis' Illinois freshman record of 10, set last season.

Wagler's season is highlighted by a 46-point game in a win at No. 4 Purdue, an Illinois freshman record – surpassing Giorgi Bezhanishvili's 35 points in 2019 – and the most in program history since Dave Downey's 53 points in 1963. Wagler's gem was the most points scored in a road win over a top-10 opponent in AP poll history and broke the program record with nine three-pointers.

If he keeps it up, Wagler will be a strong candidate for Big Ten Player of the Year. He's currently fourth in the Big Ten with 21.3 points per game in conference play, behind Indiana's Lamar Wilkerson (23.0), Northwestern's Nick Martinelli (22.9) and Iowa's Bennett Stirtz (21.7).

5. All-time great offense

Illinois Fighting Illini forwards Zvonimir Ivisic (44) and Ben Humrichous (3) celebrate a win against the Washington Huskies at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

All of this has been made possible by an elite Illinois offense. With a 130.9 adjusted offensive efficiency, Illinois has the best offense in the history of KenPom, or since 1996-97.

The Illini made 17 three-pointers Wednesday against Northwestern, one shy of a program record that was tied on Jan. 24 at Purdue. Their 11 three-pointers in the first half against the Wildcats was a season high for Illinois in any half.

That made for a dominant 84-44 win, Illinois' largest margin of victory in a conference game since its 80-37 win over Penn State on Jan. 21, 2004. It was also the Illini's 17th game with 10-plus three-pointers made, which leads all Big Ten teams. They are 15-2 in such games.

What makes Illinois' offense so scary is the variety of scoring options. Five players are averaging at least 9.9 points per game, led by Wagler at 17.9 points per game, and three others contribute at least 5.3 points per game.