Brad Underwood has led the Illini to four consecutive NCAA Tournaments, two Big Ten Tournament titles, a Big Ten regular season championship and a No. 1 seed in the 2021 NCAA Tournament. Since the former Stephen F. Austin and Oklahoma State coach arrived in Champaign, Illinois, the program has enjoyed consistent, expected success.

Yet, the current edition of Illinois Basketball may possess the best chance at cutting down the nets since Deron Williams led them to a National Championship in 2005.

Illinois has catapulted to a season-best fifth in the AP poll following road wins over No. 12 Purdue and No. 9 Nebraska, largely due to performances from standout freshman Keaton Wagler.

The 6’6” rangy guard exploded for 46 points against Purdue. He then followed that effort with a 22-point outing vs. Washington and a 28-point bombarding of the Cornhuskers – leading the Illini in scoring in each.

What’s even more impressive than who they have beaten during this stretch is the nature of each victory, as Illinois has been without one of their most impactful players over the last four games.

Senior Kylan Boswell has been out since Jan. 19 due to a broken hand he suffered in practice. The Champaign native averages 14.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game.

Despite Illinois’ recent dominance, questions have risen about how the Illinois backcourt will mesh when Boswell returns from injury, as Wagler has emerged as one of the nation’s best players with Boswell out of the lineup.

However, it may be best to focus on how lethal Illinois could be at full strength. As it stands, the Illini own the top offense in the nation with an adjusted efficiency of 131.2.  While Wagler and Boswell are the catalysts, the Illini possess multiple offensive threats.

Andrej Stojakovic rounds out the starting backcourt. The Cal transfer averages 13.3 points per contest in his first season in Champaign.

In the frontcourt, Underwood recruited David Mirkovic from overseas, and the newcomer is on his way to earning Big Ten All-Freshman honors. The lengthy forward from Montenegro averages 12.4 points and 8.2 points per game. He also knocks down the three-ball at a respectable 36.1% clip.

Inside, the Illini are anchored by the Ivisic brothers. Tomislav, who was with the Illinois program last season, was joined by his brother Zvonimir to play for Underwood this season. They combine for 22.4 points and 13.5 rebounds per contest.

Evidently, this Illinois team has some serious European influence, something Underwood has even jokingly leaned into on multiple occasions. However, it is unquestionably part of the reason they possess the best offense in America. They have seven players who shoot over 30% from three-point range and own an effective field-goal percentage of 55.6%, good for 12th in the nation.

For many teams, high-end offense comes at the sacrifice of a formidable defense. And while the Illini’s offense is certainly their strong suit, they have a respectable defensive unit as well.

Illinois’ defensive rating sits at 98.8, positioning them as the 24th-best defense in the nation. However, since they have entered league play, they own a 109.4 defensive rating, eighth amongst all Division I teams.

While Illinois is certainly more deadly with the ball in its hands, its defense has improved significantly since the start of conference play. When you consider the size of the Illini team, who boasts the tallest average height in Division I, a stout defensive presence is to be expected.  

So, is Illinois poised for a national title run? It certainly feels that way at the moment.

Yet, a better question may be: Is this Illinois’ best chance under Brad Underwood to win a national championship? To that I answer, yes.

As mentioned previously, Illinois has assembled several talented rosters over the past five seasons. While the Illini have consistently reached the NCAA Tournament, two prior squads could be argued to have carried more realistic national title aspirations than the current group: the 2020–21 team and the 2023–24 team.

In the 2020-21 season, Illinois earned a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, its first since 2005. Led by guard Ayo Dosunmu and center Kofi Cockburn, the Illini won the Big Ten Tournament and entered March as one of the title favorites. However, a Round of 32 upset at the hands of Loyola Chicago derailed a potential deep run into March Madness.

That team finished second in the AP Poll and posted an adjusted offensive efficiency of 118 and a defensive efficiency of 88.9 – both lower than the current 2025–26 squad.

The other squad with arguably stronger title hopes was the 2023–24 team. Led by guards Terrence Shannon Jr. and Marcus Domask, the Illini posted an offensive rating of 125.5 and an adjusted defensive efficiency of 101.

They earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and made it all the way to the Regional Final, where they matched up against the No. 1 overall seed and defending champion UConn Huskies.

Unfortunately for the Illini, that version of the Huskies was one of the greater college basketball teams in recent memory. UConn used a 30-0 run to start the second half to best Illinois by a final of 77-52. The Illini only trailed by five at the half.

So, let’s stack the 2025-26 team against the two above.

This season, the Illini boast higher efficiency numbers on both ends of the floor and currently own the best offensive rating in KenPom history. Most importantly, they are more balanced than ever.

Some critics point to Brad Underwood’s lack of tournament success – he has only reached the second weekend once – as a mark against him. However, this year’s squad is his most talented to date and will reveal just how far Underwood can take the Illini.