Illinois Basketball Lands at No. 1 in Fox Sports Way-Too-Early Top 25

Less than 24 hours after Michigan knocked off UConn to win the 2026 national championship, Fox Sports college basketball analyst Casey Jacobsen turned the page to next season. Jacobsen released his projections for 2027 heading into the offseason. Luckily for Brad Underwood’s crew, Illinois Basketball checks in at No. 1 in Jacobsen’s “way-too-early” Top 25.

A first look at next season from @cjacobsen23

What would you change? pic.twitter.com/hvZM0ga4lm

— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) April 7, 2026

Why Jacobsen has the Illinois Basketball at No. 1

Fresh off the program’s first Final Four appearance since 2005, expectations continue to rise for the Illini. Even with likely NBA departures for freshman standout Keaton Wagler and senior guard Kylan Boswell, Illinois still projects to return one of the most complete and experienced cores in the country next season. With David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, the Ivisic brothers, Jake Davis, Ty Rodgers, and others all potentially back in the mix in 2027. Of course, in today’s transfer portal era, roster retention is a slippery slope, and very few programs can truly count on bringing everyone back. That said, Brad Underwood and his staff have a strong pitch and a major opportunity ahead of them, with a roster built to compete for it all again next season if the core decides to run it back.

Additionally, Illinois will surely be active in the portal. They will need to fill any gaps in the productivity of Boswell, Wagler, and Ben Humrichous.  Also, Wisconsin sharpshooter John Blackwell – whose name Illini fans may be very familiar with following a couple of dominant performances against Illinois in 2025-26 – is a name to keep an eye on after recently entering his name into the portal.

It’s that balance of proven production and potential upside that convinced Jacobsen to put Illinois at the No. 1 slot in his projections.

Jacobsen on ranking Illinois Basketball No. 1: “Yes, Illinois will lose Keaton Wagler. But if David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, and Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic return, this is going to be one of the best and most experienced teams in the land.”

Add Blackwell to this and are we going to back to back Final Fours? https://t.co/DkYEeJyu8f

— RN2 (@RobbyNardini) April 6, 2026

Jacobsen on ranking Illinois Basketball No. 1

Fox’s Casey Jacobsen: “Yes, Illinois will lose Keaton Wagler, but if David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojakovic, and Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic return, this is going to be one of the best and most experienced teams in the land.”

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