Basketball
Illinois Basketball Up to No. 4 in the KenPom Rankings
The 2026 KenPom Ratings are very high on Brad Underwoods Fighting Illini
Following a statement top-15 victory over the 11th-ranked Texas Tech Red Raiders, the Illinois Basketball program has now moved up to No. 4 in the 2026 Ken Pomeroy College Basketball Ratings.
Despite some early injuries keeping the team from full strength, the Fighting Illini couldn’t have asked for a better start to 2025–26. Now sitting at 3–0 with 307 points scored (avg 123.3 ppg)— even amid mixed rotations — this blend of seasoned returners and talented newcomers has lived up to the hype and then some.
Of course, the season is very young yet, but an 81–77 win over a very respectable opponent in front of an electric State Farm Center crowd was the perfect way to kick off a brutal non-conference slate — with Alabama, UConn, Tennessee, and Mizzou all still looming before Brad Underwood’s group dives headfirst into another grueling Big Ten campaign.
If Illinois hopes to make noise in March, early victories like this one over a fellow KenPom top-15 team (no. 13) are key building blocks. For a squad with Final Four aspirations, there’s plenty of opportunity ahead to stack some all-important Tier 1 wins.
Illinois Basketball up to #4 in the KenPom ratings. Armchair Illini. Illinois Basketball. Credit: kenpom.com.
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