Illinois basketball entering the 2025-2026 season with sky-high expectations

Illinois basketball enters the 2025-26 season with high expectations, coming in at No. 16 in Haslametrics’ preseason rankings. Haslametrics, one of the most respected analytical platforms in college basketball, evaluates teams throughout the year based on their efficiency.

This marks the third nationally trusted analytics site to slot the Illini inside the preseason top 20. Bart Torvik (Barttorvik.com) has Illinois at No. 7, while Evan Miya (Evanmiya.com) places them at No. 9.

For added context, Haslametrics closed last season with Illinois at No. 17 nationally and ranked them No. 11 at the conclusion of the 2023-24 campaign. The Illini also rank highly in key efficiency metrics, checking in at No. 14 offensively and No. 18 defensively.

Digging deeper into the numbers, Haslametrics currently projects Illinois to finish 24-7 in the regular season, with losses to Alabama, UConn, Tennessee, Ohio State, Purdue, UCLA, and Maryland. That projection includes only four conference losses, an outcome that would likely secure a Big Ten regular-season championship, but is highly unlikely. With Purdue widely considered the frontrunner, capturing the league crown would be no easy feat.

Meanwhile, Bart Torvik’s model predicts Illinois will finish 22-9 overall and 13-7 in conference play.

Expectations are clearly sky-high for this year’s Illini team. With a strong returning core and impressive new additions, Illinois basketball looks poised to remain ranked in the top 25 all season long, assuming health is on its side.

As their exhibition matchup against Illinois State draws closer, excitement is building for what could be a special year in Champaign.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank you for reading Armchair Illini! The Armchair team is proud to partner with Hamilton Walker’s Seafood and Spirits. Reserve your table HERE. Enter our home game giveaways on our social media pages to win a $100 gift card.

We are also proud to partner with the Campus Ink Illini NIL Store! Use the code: ARMCHAIRILLINI for 15% off your purchase. Please subscribe to the Armchair Illini Podcast on YouTube here

Above all, for feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Additionally, please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around.

Finally, subscribe to our newsletter here for more Illinois football news! Go Illini