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Assembling Illinois Basketball's All-Time Final Four Starting Five

The Illini have made the Final Four six times. We picked our best five-man lineup from among those teams' rosters.
Jared Shlensky|
Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) speaks to media after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images
Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) speaks to media after defeating the Iowa Hawkeyes in an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting Illini

The Illinois men's basketball program has made the NCAA Tournament Final Four six times – 1949, 1951, 1952, 1989, 2005 and now 2026 – and has had so many talented players over the years. But what if you had to put together the best starting five from among those six teams? What would it look like?

The fun part about this is that you could ask five different people and get five different responses. And all five would likely be really good. But I've thought long and hard about this, and I think I've assembled a world-beater. Your results may vary.

But before you decide on yours, let me issue a warning that my lineup doesn't consist of your prototypical two guards, two forwards and a center. In this case, given the talent available, I chose three guards, a wing and one post player.

Point guard

Of all five positions, this one is hands down the easiest. And the answer is Deron Williams. Williams was (somewhat sneakily) the best player on the '05 team and had the best pro career by far of the group. Williams paved the way for stockier point guards who relied more on strength than speed. Williams could also shoot it and was a darn good passer and ball-handler, too.

To this day, Williams is the highest NBA Draft choice in program history (third overall), and if it weren't for injuries, he very well could have been a Hall of Famer. Williams was special and is hands down the best point guard to ever play at Illinois.

Shooting guard

This is another tough one, but I'm going with Luther Head. Head was the quiet assassin on Illinois' '05 team and most underrated player of the group. He was a three-point sniper, an explosive finisher and a difference-making defender. Head led Illinois in scoring with 15.9 points per game his senior year, and whenever Illinois really needed a bucket, Head always seemed to step up.

Head was huge in the Illini's epic comeback win over Arizona in the Elite Eight, and without his clutch play down the stretch in that game, the Illini don't win and don't play for a national championship.

Combo guard

And you thought I'd forgotten Keaton Wagler. ... Including Wagler on this list was obvious, but finding his exact position was a challenge. Ultimately, though, I like Wagler at combo guard. He is obviously more than capable of running the point as needed, can score whether playing on or off the ball and has stepped up as a defender late in his freshman season.

Wagler is hands down the best player on the 2026 Illinois team and is probably going to end up being an NBA lottery pick. He is averaging 17.9 points, five rebounds and 4.3 assists, and without his star production, Illinois wouldn't be in the Final Four.

No freshman at Illinois has ever done what Wagler is doing, and regardless of whether Illinois loses on Saturday, he will forever be remembered as an Illini legend.

Wing

Similar to Wagler, Kendall Gill was a player who almost had to be included on this list – but, again, finding his exact position was tough.

Gill, the brightest star of the '89 Flyin' Illini team, was as potent on the defensive end as he was on offense (15.4 points per game for a balanced scoring group). And for that reason, I'm sticking him at the wing, where he would be responsible for guarding bigger guards or swing forwards who are comfortable playing outside.

Gill was at his best for the Illini in transition, but he could also create his own shot off the dribble and bully smaller guards in the post with his strength.

Post

Of all five positions, this one was the toughest. I strongly considered Roger Powell Jr., Dike Eddleman (look him up!) and David Mirkovic, but ultimately I decided on James Augustine.

Three years from now, Mirkovic might make this choice look like an oversight, but Augustine's junior year was even better than Mirkovic's current freshman season at Illinois – and that's saying something.

Augustine's best game of the 2005 NCAA Tournament was in the second round against Nevada, but it can be easy to forget among all the personalities and players on that team that he had a really nice overall junior season (10.1 points on 62.4 percent shooting and 7.6 rebounds per game). He never had Mirkovic's outside scoring ability, but when it comes to defense (1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals per game) and interior play, Augustine has the edge over Mirkovic.

Honorable mentions

I already mentioned three guys who almost made this list – Mirkovic, Powell and Eddleman – but they're not the only ones deserving of recognition. Other players who just missed this list and would easily come off the bench are Dee Brown, Nick Anderson, Kenny Battle and Don Sunderlage.

Only five can take the court at once, though, which means a lot of really good players who helped Illinois teams reach the Final Four – both past and present – weren't going to make this particular list.

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Jared Shlensky
JARED SHLENSKY

Jared Shlensky is a contributing writer for On SI and a freelance play-by-play broadcaster. Jared was previously a sports betting writer for Yardbarker, an On-Air YouTube Personality for the Sports Geek and a minor league play-by-play broadcaster.

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