A crucial stat that shows the 2026-27 Illinois basketball team might be better than the Final Four squad

It is going to be hard for the Illinois basketball team to get back to the Final Four because, well, there are nearly 400 teams vying for just four spots.

What the Illini accomplished last season was impressive. Getting to the Final Four is a great achievement, but I want more. The expectations have changed, and I want a national championship.

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While it was already extremely difficult to get to the Final Four, you then add in the fact that Illinois lost a top 10 NBA Draft pick from that squad. The 2026-27 team should take a step backward, naturally. But there is a chance that isn’t the case. Actually, I think Illinois might be even better than that Final Four squad.

There is one stat that has been a strong determinant of whether the Illinois basketball team succeeds or fails.

Three-point shooting.

During the 2025-26 campaign, Illinois shot 34.5% from three-point range, ranking No. 142 in the country. That is around the number that we are looking to hit. We went to the Final Four shooting 34.5%.

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2025-26 – 34.5% – Final Four (3-seed)

2024-25 – 31.3% – 2nd Round (6-seed)

2023-24 – 34.9% – Elite 8 (3-seed)

2022-23 – 30.8% – 1st Round (9-seed)

2021-22 – 35.9% – 2nd Round (4-seed)

2020-21 – 37.2% – 2nd Round (1-seed)

I know it sounds obvious, make more three-pointers, have more success. With Illinois, that is magnified greatly, as we rely on the three-point shot a lot.

Illinois was pretty good from beyond the three-point arc last season. We also had some departures that will shake the three-point number up a bit.

Keaton Wagler is the biggest hit from deep. He was second on the team, hitting 39.7% from three-point range. Here is what Illinois is losing from deep.

Wagler and Humrichous are big hits from three-point range, and even Boswell can light it up on any given night. That is some solid production that will be hard to replace. I think Brad Underwood did it, though.

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So, Illinois had two players who shot over 36% but under 40% from three-point range…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/crucial-stat-shows-2026-27-125756461.html

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Publish date : 2026-06-07 12:57:00

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