Illinois Basketball fans rated as top-10 most passionate

Illinois basketball fans are passionate. There is zero doubt about that. Every single detail of this program is some form of news. Whether it is about current players, alumni, or even players who played one year at the university, Illini fans know no rest.  In a recent ranking done by college basketball analyst, Andy Katz, Illinois basketball fans were named the 6th most passionate fanbase. Purdue, Duke, Kansas, UCONN, and Kentucky were the only schools that ranked ahead of the Illini fanbase. 

Whether you like those schools or not, that is a pretty elite company. Though Katz can be somewhat odd in his rankings, he is no stranger to the passion of Illinois fans.

National Success, National Notoriety

One of the reasons that the Illini are getting this kind of attention again is their recent success. They have won two of the last four Big Ten Tournament titles. They most recently came in second in the regular season race and tied for first during the 2020-2021 season. After a trip to the Elite Eight, Brad Underwood and his staff retooled with multiple interesting prospects. In fact, a handful of these prospects are on the draft boards for the 2025 NBA Draft.

This recent on-court success is the perfect compliment to a rabid, passionate, and driven fanbase. The scary thing is, this is only the beginning.

Passion personified

Andy Katz names his top fanbases in the country pic.twitter.com/nxO0jjVGv8

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) August 26, 2024

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