Big Ten Voice Predicts Illinois Basketball Will Miss NCAA Tournament

Sleepers Media With Bold Prediction on Illinois Basketball

The Sleepers Podcast always does a great job with their work. Above all, they are professionals at riling up the Illinois Basketball fanbase with a bold prediction or subtle slight. In a recent episode, Greg Waddell and Carter Elliott made their bold predictions regarding each team in the Big Ten. When it came to Illinois, Elliott suggested that he thinks that Kylan Boswell will eventually come off the bench. Elliott is a known Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn (DGL) supporter and believes in a sophomore jump for the explosive combo guard. When Waddell was asked to give his prediction, he once again gave a take that is sure to rile up the Illini fanbase.

Waddell stated that Illinois Basketball will miss the 2025 NCAA tournament and that the Illini have the 16th-best roster in the Big Ten.

A bold, but ridiculous take.

Illinois Basketball has lost a lot from a team that went to the Elite Eight. They will bring in 5 new players from the transfer portal, 2 true freshmen and one international prospect. There is certainly a lot of unknown, however, to state that the Illini have a bottom-five roster in the Big Ten is ludicrous. Tre White and Kylan Boswell are proven contributors at the power-five level. Carey Booth is a former top-60 prospect who started games as a true freshman. Ben Humrichous is one of the best shooters in the country and turned down strong offers from Villanova and Louisville to play for Illinois.

Tomislav Ivisic has proven he can produce against legitimate college competition and will turn 21 years old before the start of the season. Though the Illini will have growing pains as they attempt to gel and establish an alpha, this coaching staff has done this before. Brad Underwood has the most Big Ten wins in the past five years. He should not be counted out because of a brand-new roster. Underwood has shown the innate ability to adapt to his players and he will undoubtedly do the same when the Illini go dancing in 2025.

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini. For more Illinois Athletics and Big Ten content from Armchair Illini, follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.  For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email Alex Kyi at [email protected].