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ESPN's Final Preseason CBB Rankings Slot Illinois at No. 16: Too High or Too Low?

ESPN ranked Illinois No. 16 in its final preseason college basketball rankings on Wednesday
Jared Shlensky|
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball head coach Brad Underwood reacts after Will Riley is selected as the 21st pick by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Jun 25, 2025; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini mens basketball head coach Brad Underwood reacts after Will Riley is selected as the 21st pick by the Utah Jazz in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting Illini

If you thought Illinois head basketball coach Brad Underwood's offseason couldn't get any better, guess again. Underwood received a six-year contract extension back in May, landed two elite players via the transfer portal – guard/forward Andrej Stojakovic and junior center Zvonimir Ivisic – and on Wednesday saw his squad ranked No. 16 in ESPN's final top 25 college basketball preseason poll.

Equally impressive, perhaps, is that Illinois is considered by ESPN to be the fourth-ranked team in the Big Ten, behind No. 1 Purdue, No. 8 Michigan and No. 14 UCLA. In the speing, and in some cases even now, certain experts and outlets also put the Illini behind Oregon and, in some cases, Michigan State.

Is Illinois ranked too high?

Maybe. Illinois brings back three of its starters from last year in Tomislav Ivisic, Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous, so it's not like Underwood isn't bringing back any experience. But the Illini lost Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley to the NBA Draft back in June, and replacing the production of the team's two most dynamic offensive players won't be easy.

And it may be a surprise to some that Illinois was ranked ahead of Oregon and Michigan State. Dana Altman reloaded in Eugene, and he still has Nate Bittle – maybe the Big Ten's best all-around center – to lead the way. And the Spartans made it all the way to the Elite Eight last season and have one of the best coaches in college basketball in Tom Izzo.

What are realistic expectations for Illinois?

According to ESPN's rankings, Illinois should make it to at least the Sweet 16, but let's pump the brakes for just a minute. Underwood has been in Champaign for nine years now and has won multiple games in the NCAA Tournament just once. His best season came two years ago when Illinois made it to the Elite Eight, so based on his track record alone, Illinois isn't exactly a lock to make a deep NCAA Tournament run.

At the end of the day, though, Illinois has a ton of talent and should make it to the Sweet 16. Returning three starters from last year plus landing Zvonimir Ivisic and Stojakovic via the portal is big. And freshmen David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic give Illinois more depth and versatility than perhaps any team in the conference outside of Purdue.

We'll know a lot more about Illinois come conference play, but for now, the hype is legit and fully warranted.

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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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