Football
Illinois Basketball Tops Ryan Hammer’s Preseason Rankings
College Basketball analyst Ryan Hammer has released his Big Ten Preseason Power Rankings, which certainly favor Illinois Basketball.

The Big Ten will have a new look in 2024, as recent expansion has added four new programs (Oregon, Washington, UCLA, USC) to the conference. Despite some unfamiliar faces on the schedule, many outlets believe that the original members of the league will continue to remain at the top. Some experts therefore believe Illinois Basketball will be the top dog of the Big Ten come first tipoff in November.
Of course, only time will tell how the season will truly unfold. However, it is a positive to have national analysts projecting the Illini click.
College Basketball analyst Ryan Hammer has predicted that Illinois Basketball will be the best team in the conference entering the 2024 season. Despite having a lot of new and unknown talent on the Illini roster, Hammer believes that Illinois is the team to beat. However, other Big Ten powers do lurk closely behind.
Hammer states “I look at Illinois and I see the best team in the Big Ten. To be fair, it’s razor-thin margins at the top.”
My Big Ten preseason power rankings⬇️
League is already a giant mosh pit & now there’s 18 teams… will be a mess per usual but a fun one with 10+ tourney teams pic.twitter.com/Lpnr1CtmgW
— Ryan Hammer🔨 (@ryanhammer09) October 8, 2024
Hammers Big Ten Preseason Power Rankings
- Illinois
- Purdue
- Indiana
- UCLA
- Rutgers
- Maryland
- Oregon
- Michigan State
- Iowa
- Michigan
- USC
- Ohio State
- Wisconsin
- Washington
- Nebraska
- Northwestern
- Penn State
- Minnesota

Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you for reading Armchair Illini. We at Armchair Illini are proudly sponsored by Uncle Fluffy’s Beard Company, the top specialty boutique for homemade beard balms and oils in the state of Illinois. Check out the vast array of Organic products here to keep your facial hair healthy, tame, and smelling great!
For feedback, questions, concerns, or to apply for a writing position, please email our Publisher at alexkyi13@gmail.com. Please use our Seatgeek code for $20 off your purchase on Seatgeek.com: ARMCHAIRILLINOIS. Certainly, It is because of your support that we have become one of the fastest-growing Illinois media outlets around!
-
Football7 days ago
Former Illini Pat Bryant makes NFL Debut
-
Basketball2 days ago
Top 25 guard Cameron Holmes to visit Illinois basketball
-
Football4 days ago
Former Illinois Football Wide Receiver Signs with the 49’ers
-
Football6 days ago
Luke Altmyer: Faith, Leadership, and the Heartbeat of Illinois Football
-
Football2 days ago
Illinois Football Opens 2025 Season with Huge Point Spread vs WIU
-
Basketball2 days ago
Illinois basketball announces intensive non-conference schedule in 2025
-
Football3 days ago
Armchair Illini Podcast Episode 2: Big Ten Preview With CBS’s Tom Fornelli
-
Football2 days ago
Former Illini Te’Rah Edwards Makes an Interception for the LA Chargers