Where College Basketball Experts Rank Illinois Heading Into 2026-27

The way-too-early rankings for the 2026-27 campaign all got rolling back in early April, just days (or even a day, in some cases) after the national title game. Then came the transfer-portal wave.

After the majority of portal entrants made their decisions by early May, more rankings began to pile in again. And then there was just one date circled on the calendar of college hoops’ most prominent followers: May 27.

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Midnight of that date – which came last Wednesday – was the deadline for NBA Draft entrants to pull their names from the pool while maintaining college eligibility.

With a handful of big names returning to their respective programs (Illinois brings back Andrej Stojakovic, Jeremy Fears Jr. is staying at Michigan State and Amari Allen is back at Alabama, to name just a few), the outlook for the 2026-27 season is finally coming into full focus.

Here is where the top college basketball experts rank the Illini following the withdrawal deadline (and return of Stojakovic):

Where top experts rank Illinois after NBA Draft withdrawal deadline

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies during the first half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Andy Katz, NCAA

Among pundits’ rankings that we’ll highlight in this space, Andy Katz is the “lowest” on Illinois – yet he still slots Brad Underwood’s club at No. 4. In his updated Power 44, he put Florida at the top, placed Duke at No. 2 and ranked Michigan at No. 3 – all squads with a valid argument to be slotted above the Illini (although we don’t necessarily agree).

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Jon Rothstein, CBS Sports

Mr. “Here Comes the ‘Paign,” aka Jon Rothstein, has Illinois slotted above all Big Ten teams at No. 2 overall, just one spot behind the leader of the pack – No. 1 Florida. Somewhat interestingly, he projects a different…

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Publish date : 2026-05-31 17:37:00

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