Despite Several Key Losses, Illinois Hoops Still Finds Spot In "Way Too Early" Top 25

Two months ago, the Illinois Fighting Illini fell short victory short of the NCAA Final Four.

A loss to eventual champion UConn in the Elite Eight ended their hopes of a championship. The Illini are now preparing for another year under coach Brad Underwood but it hasn't stopped publications from predicting where they start this season.

SI.com placed the Illini at No. 22 in its "Way Too Early" Top 25. The key losses include Quincy Guerrier (graduation), Coleman Hawkins (transfer portal), Marcus Domask (graduation), Terrence Shannon (NBA draft), Niccolo Moretti (transfer portal), Dain Dainja (Memphis), Luke Goode (Indiana).

Still, the Illini did well in the transfer portal by grabbing the likes of Ben Humrichous and Carey Booth in the transfer portal while also locking up NBA prospect Kasparas Jakucionis from overseas. It could lead to another deep run in March for the Illini.

"Illinois completely reshaped its play style in 2023–24, settling into an offense that featured a lot of the principles that made Villanova’s offense so dominant in its two national title seasons," SI's college basketball writer Kevin Sweeney wrote. "The Illini lose a ton from a year ago, but I’m a believer in the talent coming in and its fit in the offense. Big, physical ballhandlers in Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell and potential one-and-done Kasparas Jakucionis, floor-spacing forwards like Ben Humrichous (Evansville Purple Aces) and Carey Booth (Notre Dame Fighting Irish) and a true center in Tomislav Ivišić could cause some very difficult matchups for Big Ten foes."

Shandel Richardson is the publisher of Illini Now. He can be reached at shandelrich@gmail.com