The Shift Fueling Illinois’ Rise – And Why It Matters Long Term

Illinois’ Brad Underwood often rolls out one of the more talented teams in the country – and it has been no different in 2025-26. Even heading into the season, the general consensus throughout college basketball was that few teams, if any, would carry more pure hoops talent on their roster than the Illini.

With that in mind, the sky-high ceiling for this club was well-known. Illinois was widely viewed as a team with a chance to be great – but then again, so were the 2024-25 Illini. Yet that club never truly hit its stride (12-8 in Big Ten play and a second-round exit from the NCAA Tournament). What's different this year?

Can this Illinois team reach its ceiling?

Dec 13, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts to a call during the second hal against the Nebraska Cornhuskersf at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

It's a fair question. This Illinois group indisputably boasts more collective talent and depth than last year's Illini, but that isn’t really the issue at hand. Instead, the sticking point has been the ability of Underwood and his staff to channel and mesh all that individual talent into a cohesive unit.

And between the Alabama game, which slipped out of Illinois’ grasp, and the disappointing showing against UConn and gut-punch falter versus Nebraska, the Illini were again on a track to come up short in putting another uber-talented roster to good use. Then something changed.

The defensive performance that set a new precedent

Illinois had nine days of practice after the Cornhuskers loss and before its Braggin Rights matchup with Missouri – a contest in which, for the first time, everything clicked. The much-needed growth defensively was almost startling.

Holding the Tigers, who rely heavily on their explosive offense to offset their below-average defense, to just 48 points was a noteworthy feat. But it wasn’t just the accomplishment itself that was so impressive – it was how the Illini went about achieving it.

We had seen flashes of elite defense from Illinois, but never had we seen that level of intensity and focus. Those factors are unquantifiable, in part because they are often infectious (as they appeared to be for the Illini) and demoralizing for opponents. Playing defense and hitting the glass with purpose and even a bit of a chip on the shoulder perpetuates constant, relentless forward momentum.

Rejected by Zvonimir Ivisic! 😤 @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/qYArfAhOoX
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) December 23, 2025

That version of the Illini didn’t make a celebrity guest appearance against the Tigers. If Monday was any indication, it could be here to stay. Against Southern, Illinois maintained that same level of get-after-it, as well as an attention to detail, which combined allowed the Illini to hold the Jaguars to 55 points. Mind you, that is Southern’s lowest output of the season, and that’s for a team that has played six high-major opponents.

Illinois' Jake Davis and Brad Underwood talk growth and expectations

“We have a new intensity about us and a new want-to, which I think is going to carry us through Big Ten play, and hopefully we’re going to win another Big Ten title,” forward Jake Davis said after his team-high 15-point performance against Southern.

And it’s not just Davis who has noticed the shift. Underwood himself seemed to be almost taken aback by the strides his club has made.

“I think we have a new standard, in my eyes," he said.

"In my opinion, after the Mizzou game, I think we’ve got a ceiling that maybe I didn’t expect us to be able to achieve. And now we’re moving in the right direction.”