3 Reasons Illinois Basketball Should Be the National Title Favorite in 2026-27

Since Brad Underwood took over in Champaign, he has built a handful of Illinois teams capable of winning a national title, but the Illini have never entered a season considered one of the frontrunners.

Welcome to the 2026-27 season. The disclaimer is always necessary: We’re more than a month away from the season tip-off and half a year from the NCAA Tournament, so literally anything can happen. But as things stand, the Illini are among a small group of teams viewed as true national title contenders. Here are three reasons they should be the favorite:

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3 reasons Illinois basketball should be the national title favorite

Mar 8, 2026; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) celebrates with center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

An elite frontcourt trio

Let’s go down the list: David Mirkovic is a likely preseason All-American. Tomislav Ivisic is an inside-out two-way threat who would probably be the go-to option on most high-major teams in the country. And Zvonimir Ivisic is the nation’s premier rim protector, a dangerous lob threat, a deep-ball shooter and, per the analytics, one of the most effective returning players across Division I hoops.

But it is the trio’s versatility – especially that of Mirkovic – that may be most valuable to Illinois. It allows Brad Underwood and his staff to attack the key weaknesses of virtually any defense, and especially in an area (the frontcourt) where teams tend to be less equipped to handle multidimensionality. Any two-player combination of Mirkovic and the Ivisic twins is going to have an advantage against opposing frontcourts.

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Transition ability

Last year, the Flyin’ Illini were grounded. Illinois finished 2025-26 ranked No. 353 (out of 361) in fastbreak points, at 5.7 per game. The coaching staff bent the offensive attack to its personnel -…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/3-reasons-illinois-basketball-national-220714254.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-14 22:07:00

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