ESPN's Joe Lunardi High on Illinois, Tabs Illini in Big Ten's 'Game of the Year'

It’s the favorite debate of Midwesterners (or the entire northern half of the country now?) and Southerners: Is the Big Ten or the SEC better?

In football and basketball, there’s really no argument for any other conference being as consistently powerful as those two. The Big Ten and SEC have poached the top programs from around the rest of the nation, building two leagues that are head and shoulders above the rest.

The 2025-26 basketball season reflects that dynamic. Although the Big 12 is worth mentioning (it has a handful of top-25 squads and boasts three of the four top freshmen in the country), the Big Ten and SEC once again reign supreme.

But which conference is the apex predator in the food chain? Well, despite how much we would love to get into this, we’re not offering our opinion on that debate in this space. We’ll simply share the thoughts of ESPN’s Joe Lunardi:

Big Ten is the cream of the crop, per Joe Lunardi

The resident bracketologist and long-time college basketball analyst picked the Big Ten as the top conference in the country. He sees the conference as trading “a little quantity for quality” this year, with Purdue, Michigan and Illinois looking like “serious Final Four contenders” – although he does mention it’s much too early to come to any concrete conclusions.

He also mentioned that “on opening night, Illinois might have been the most impressive of all,” as Brad Underwood’s club took down Jackson State 113-55, dominating the game in every aspect imaginable.

As for the can’t-miss, must-watch game of the year in the Big Ten? That would be a late January battle between Illinois and Purdue. Here’s a quick, way-too-early preview of what that showdown may entail:

Key potential storylines to watch in Illinois-Purdue

Mar 7, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) and Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) battle for position during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Big Ten regular-season title implications

It’s very possible that the Illini will carry an undefeated Big Ten record into West Lafayette on Jan. 24. None of the conference squads they play before meeting the Boilermakers is ranked, and Illinois figures to be the favorite in each.

Purdue, as the nation’s top-ranked club, is naturally the preseason favorite in the conference. This outing may ultimately decide which squad etches its name in the Big Ten record books for the 2025-26 season.

Braden Smith vs. the best perimeter defender in the Big Ten?

In Illinois’ lone meeting against Purdue this past season, Underwood put his superstar defender – Kylan Boswell – on the current best player in the nation: Braden Smith. Boswell did hold Smith to 8-for-19 field-goal shooting (42.1 percent), but aside from that, he largely had his way. He finished with 18 points, nine rebounds and 12 assists.

Obviously, it’s easier said than done, but Boswell will need an even better defensive performance this time around if the Illini – who managed to win that game in 2024-25 – want to walk out of Mackey Arena with a victory this time around.

Young, blossoming star vs. veteran All-American candidate

Another intriguing matchup will be David Mirkovic against Trey Kaufman-Renn, who hung 29 points on Illinois last season. Tomislav Ivisic will likely draw the matchup on Purdue’s new offseason addition – big man Oscar Cluff – which leaves Kaufman-Renn to Mirkovic.

🔶 PTS: 19
🔷 REB: 14
🔶 AST: 4

If his @IlliniMBB debut is any indication, it sure looks like David Mirkovic is the real deal. pic.twitter.com/u5EQIAzFsP
— Illinois on BTN (@IllinoisOnBTN) November 4, 2025

A 6-foot-9 freshman, Mirkovic has been turning heads since exhibition play got underway in mid-October. But Kaufman-Renn is a prime All-American candidate and is 23 years old with experience that Mirkovic, at age 19, simply won’t be able to match. Then again, Mirkovic will be a different player after squaring up against Texas Tech, Alabama, UConn, Tennessee and roughly half the Big Ten. But whether he’ll be truly ready to match Kaufman-Renn, only time will tell.