ESPN's Jay Bilas Moves Illinois Basketball in First Update Since Preseason

Most college hoops experts update their rankings weekly, while others even reevaluate their lists daily. We here at Illinois on SI tend to visit our Big Ten power rankings on a week-to-week basis, given the chaos that constantly ensues in such a loaded conference.

But with consistent updates, it’s hard to put everything in perspective. Illinois, for example, just bounced back with a win over Indiana on Sunday, but the sting of back-to-back losses is still prominent to Illini fans.

Cue the Bilas Index. ESPN’s Jay Bilas, a longtime hoops analyst and former Duke forward, ranked his top 68 teams in the preseason and hadn't touched them again – until Tuesday. The long gap between Volume I and Volume 2 of the Bilas Index offers a unique, refreshing perspective of Illinois’ season thus far.

Where did Jay Bilas rank Illinois in the preseason?

Zvonimir Ivisi — Feb 10, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) wears a protective mask during the first half against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Heading into the 2025-26 campaign, Bilas slotted Illinois at No. 12 in the country, mentioning the Illini’s European influence – which was the talk of the town before the season – while stating that Brad Underwood’s club was a “Big Ten contender.”

Jump three-plus months ahead to the present day and Illinois has fulfilled Bilas' expectations, having run up a 21-5 overall record and a 12-3 Big Ten mark – the latter of which currently positions the Illini at second place in the league.

Where does Jay Bilas rank Illinois now?

In the process of pushing for a Big Ten regular-season title, the Illini have built a historically dominant offense – and Bilas has taken notice. In his updated rankings, he bumped Illinois up six spots from its preseason spot, ranking Underwood’s club as the No. 6 team in the nation – second among Big Ten teams (Michigan at No. 1).

And aside from highlighting Illinois’ exceptional offense, there was another key difference in Bilas’ update: Keaton Wagler. In the initial Bilas Index, the pundit mentioned four names – none of which were Wagler’s.

This time around, as you might imagine, that changed. In the latest edition, Bilas called Wagler an “elite, lottery-pick guard,” also noting that the freshman phenom reminds him of NBA All-Star guard Tyrese Haliburton.

Despite losing two out of its past three, Illinois was still listed as the No. 6 team in all of Division I basketball by one of the premier minds in the media.

Moral of the story: The Illini are every bit a Final Four contender and national title threat. Also, not that anyone really needs the reminder, but we’ll put it out there anyway: What Wagler is doing this season is simply remarkable – and is very unlikely to ever be replicated again in Champaign (or most other college basketball campuses).

It has been very likely the best freshman campaign the program has ever witnessed, but more: It has come from a player who wasn’t even listed in the top 250 of his high school class according to certain recruiting services. None of that is new news to most of the Illini faithful, but that doesn’t mean it can't be appreciated in the moment.