Why One Coach Isn’t Picking Illinois Basketball as His Preseason No. 1

Entering the 2026-27 college basketball season, most pundits are slotting Illinois, which is returning five of its eight rotation players from last season’s Final Four squad, in the No. 3-5 range. Even the vast majority of experts who are especially high on the Illini rank both Florida and Duke – often in that order – ahead of Brad Underwood’s club.

But what do the coaches think? CBS Sports’ Gary Parrish and Matt Norlander reportedly interviewed nearly 100 coaches, ranging from “high-profile names” to “assistants at low-major programs,” on a variety of questions. The biggie: Who will be the best team in the country in 2026-27?

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How many coaches picked Illinois as the best team in 2026-27?

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the second half during a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Florida ultimately won in a landslide (55 percent of voters picked the Gators), while Illinois reeled in just 5 percent of votes. (It’s worth noting that Norlander said they surveyed coaches after news broke that David Mirkovic had undergone foot surgery.)

One of the few coaches who did pick the Illini said “they have the skill, toughness and chemistry.” But another respondent who didn’t pick Illinois laid out his rationale for doubt plainly: “Illinois would be my choice if they had reliable point guard play. I’m not sold that Quentin Coleman can be the point guard they need as a freshman.”

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Are the Illini the top squad entering 2026-27?

July 19, 2025; North Augusta, South Carolina, USA; Brad Beal Elite Quentin Coleman (1) gestures to a teammate as Team Durant Evans Barning Jr. (7) defends during the Brad Beal Elite and Team Durant game at the Nike EYBL Peach Jam at Riverview Park Activity Center. Brad Beal Elite won 91-59. Mandatory Credit: Katie Goodale – Augusta…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/why-one-coach-isnt-picking-151021060.html

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Publish date : 2026-08-26 15:10:00

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