Key Takeaways From Illinois Basketball Landing in KenPom Preseason Top 5

KenPom, the highly reputable college basketball metric used by the NCAA Tournament selection committee, released its 2026-27 preseason ratings on Sunday. Illinois, as expected, was near the top of the overall rankings.

Where did Illinois land in KenPom’s 2026-27 preseason rankings?

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 | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Illini are slotted as the No. 4 team in the country heading into 2026-27, per KenPom. They trail No. 1 Duke, No. 2 Florida and No. 3 Houston. The margin between Illinois and Houston is fairly large, while Arizona is hot on the Illini’s heels.

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Illinois is the only Big Ten team among KenPom’s top five and one of just two – Michigan State is No. 7 – in the top 15. Michigan ranks a surprisingly low No. 28, with the quartet of Nebraska (No. 16), Ohio State (No. 21), Purdue (No. 24) and UCLA (No. 27) slotting ahead of the reigning national champs.

Key takeaways from Illinois’ preseason KenPom rankings

Nov 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood yells to his team during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Illini offense is not ranked No. 1

Contrary to popular belief, Illinois will not enter 2026-27 with college basketball’s top offense, at least according to KenPom. That honor will go to Florida, which finished last year with the No. 9 offense but is returning essentially its entire core.

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Illinois, meanwhile, notably lost the engine to its 2025-26 offense – Keaton Wagler – in the offseason, but the program reloaded in a massive way. The Illini should be even more diverse offensively, somehow boasting an even longer list of bucket-getters and…

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Publish date : 2026-10-14 15:47:00

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