3 biggest Illinois basketball concerns Brad Underwood is still facing

The Illinois basketball team has some adjusting to do for the upcoming 2026-27 campaign.

While there is a lot of talent returning to the Illini, Brad Underwood did have to do some work this offseason to fill the holes left by departing players. He did a great job filling the voids, and now Illinois heads into next season with a lot of media hype.

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Despite a great offseason, there are still some concerns Underwood has on his plate. The Final Four run was special, but can we do what it takes to get over the hump and to the national championship?

Here are the three biggest Illinois basketball concerns Brad Underwood is facing

1. Who is the lead dog on the Illinois basketball roster?

I think the biggest question mark coming into the 2026-27 season is about leadership. It is not that there aren’t players on the team who can step up, but is there going to be a lead dog on the Illinois roster?

At the end of the day, I think an underrated aspect of Keaton Wagler was his leadership. He led in many forms.

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Wagler was obviously the best player, and that is natural leadership. But he was also an emotional leader. Wagler never got too high or too low. He would rally the troops when situations were tough. He was the calming force for the Illini.

Illinois is going to need to find the next lead dog. Is that David Mirkovic? He seems a little too sporadic for that role. Can Tomislav Ivisic do it? He doesn’t seem like a good fit. Jake Davis is always a good option, but I don’t think he will start. Is the current Illinois roster going to have an incoming transfer in Stefan Vaaks be the leader?

Here is another thought: why not another freshman leader? Quentin Coleman has a lot of juice, so maybe he slips naturally into the Wagler role.

Talent can win regular season games, but leadership wins NCAA tournament games. Illinois needs to find that leader for next season.

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2. Can Tomislav Ivisic be a true stretch-five?

I would argue the player I was most disappointed in last…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/3-biggest-illinois-basketball-concerns-120009468.html

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Publish date : 2026-05-09 12:00:00

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