Can Illinois Basketball break into the top four of the Big Ten?

Illinois basketball has a lot of talent. There are plenty of intriguing pieces, however, many of these pieces are unproven at the college level. Hypothetically, the Illini should have as much talent as anyone in the Big Ten. In fact, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony, the Illini have four top 100 NBA draft prospects on their roster. Despite this talent level, college basketball is not about talent. It is a strong mixture of coaching, well-defined roles, and a well-constructed roster.

Can Illinois basketball put it all together and be at the top of the Big Ten?

Trust Brad Underwood

Brad Underwood has been exceptional throughout his last five years. Illinois basketball has gone 69-31 in their last five years in Big Ten play. Underwood deserves credit for continuing to adapt his coaching mentality and his style of play to fit the team that he has. Personally, I do think that the Illini will face their bumps as they start off the 2024-2025 season. With so many new pieces and young faces, Illinois basketball will struggle out of the gates.

However, Illini fans can trust that their head coach will figure this out. Whether it was going all-in on Marcus Domask’s “Booty-ball” to completely ditching the “Spread offense”, Brad Underwood hates losing more than anyone. Because of that hatred of losing, he has shown the propensity to adapt and navigate any water he is in.

The Illini will be back at the top of the Big Ten this year because of that.

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