Illinois Basketball Debuts in ESPN's Latest Top 25 Rankings for 2025-26

The Illini entered ESPN's early college basketball rankings, and immediately climbed into the top 20

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA: Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) drives to the hoop past Xavier Musketeers forward Zach Freemantle (32) during the second half at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The buzz continues to grow around Illinois basketball. Initially, the offseason felt like it was slipping away from coach Brad Underwood and his group, as the majority of preseason rankings continued to leave the Illini on the outside looking in.

But Underwood and his staff got the breakthrough they needed, landing not only a piece that fit a need but a potential full-fledged star in Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic.

Andrej Stojakovic puts up a career-high against Stanford:

37 PTS | 13-22 FG | 4-7 3PT | 5 REB pic.twitter.com/ODtk96csQx

— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 13, 2025

To top it off, a few days later the Illini announced the return of graduate forward Ben Humrichous – who started 26 games last season.

Finally catching the attention of college basketball experts across the country, Illinois saw its ranking climb preseason lists on nearly every platform, including that of ESPN.

In ESPN’s latest preseason projections, Jeff Borzello listed the Illini at No. 17 in the country – a far cry from their “next in line” ranking in his previous top-25 edition. 

Borzello expects Illinois to roll out a starting lineup of Mihailo Petrovic and Kylan Boswell in the backcourt, with Andrej Stojakovic on the wing and the Ivisic twins (Zvonimir and Tomislav) rounding out the lineup in the frontcourt.

Even in light of their recent rise up the experts' rankings, the Illini still trail a quartet of squads in the Big Ten, which appears to be shaping up as the deepest and most talented conference in college basketball.

Big Ten Teams in ESPN’s Top 25:

Purdue (No. 1)

Michigan (No. 9)

UCLA (No. 14)

Wisconsin (No. 16)

Illinois (No. 17)

Michigan State (No. 23)

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Is Incoming Freshman Brandon Lee a Hidden X-Factor for Illinois Next Season?

Illinois Basketball: Which Current and Former Illini Got NBA Draft Combine Invites?

Illinois Basketball Receives Commitment From In-State High School Champion