Two biggest questions facing Illinois Basketball before 2026-27 season

Illinois basketball summer workouts are underway, and the entire roster is finally together on campus. Stefan Vaaks recently returned to Champaign after representing Estonia in the FIBA World Cup Qualifiers. Andrej Stojakovic, Jake Davis, and Lucas Morillo were all dealing with injuries earlier this offseason but are now back on the court.

The Illini are expected to be one of the best teams in the country next season following their historic Final Four run. They have a great chance to win the Big Ten, but there are a couple of major question marks that will need to be answered before the season begins.

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1. Defense

Defense was a concern last season, and it could be again in 2026-27. The Illini put it all together on that end of the floor during the NCAA Tournament, but they struggled for much of the regular season to consistently slow down their opponents.

“We’ve got to get better,” Underwood said. “We’ve got to find the aggressive button a little more.”

Aggression on defense has not been a strength of Brad Underwood’s teams over the past few seasons. According to KenPom, Illinois ranked last nationally in defensive turnover percentage and third-to-last in steal percentage. The Illini will likely be near the bottom of the country in those categories again next season, but they’ll need to find ways to force more turnovers.

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Illinois finished No. 20 nationally in adjusted defensive efficiency on KenPom last season, and that number will likely need to improve if the Illini want to win a national championship. Each of the last three national champions finished the season ranked inside the top 10 in adjusted defensive efficiency.

Illinois’ roster is built around its offense, but it will have to become a more consistent defensive team if it wants to win a national title. The Illini will once again be one of the biggest teams in the country, making it essential to use their size and length to their advantage.

2. Go-To Option

Illinois had one of…

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Publish date : 2026-07-14 13:03:00

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