Basketball
Illinois basketball rated in the top-10 of Evan Miya rankings
With their star players returning, Illini basketball has won the belief of many statistically based projections.
The preseason for Illinois basketball is coming to a close very soon. The Illini are just 37 days away from a preseason exhibition vs the Illinois State Redbirds. Despite losing two players to the NBA draft, the Illini have successfully restacked their team to remain a Big Ten favorite. As one of the programs with the most conference wins in the Big Ten over the last five years, Illinois basketball is once again thought very highly of.
Per Evan Miyakawa’s preseason rankings on EvanMiya.com, the Illini are ranked 9th overall. Of note, however, two Big Teams rank ahead of them in these rankings. Purdue ranks 2nd, and the Michigan Wolverines rank 5th.
Why are the Illini so high?
The biggest reason that the analytics-driven rankings place the Illini in the top 10 is their age. Their returning pieces, Kylan Boswell and Tomislav Ivisic, are both seasoned players in their 20s. In their new additions, Andrej Stojakovic is a former five-star prospect who has played two years of college ball in the Pac-12 and ACC, respectively. Also, the Illini added Zvonimir Ivisic, another player with two years of experience at the high major level.
Most recently, point guard Mihailo Petrovic arrived on campus and has been impressive with his moxie and playmaking ability. Petrovic is 22 years old and was one of the best guards in the Adriatic league. Because of the experience and proven production at a high level, the Illinois basketball roster should be one of the best in the conference.
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