Inside Illini Basketball

Illinois is down to one last exhibition game — Wednesday against UIC — to iron out any preseason wrinkles before Fairleigh Dickinson comes to town Nov. 2. The priority now? Getting healthy, with David Mirkovic back in a boot and in-game injuries to a trio of key players. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses that, the impressive Illinois freshmen and more in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Illinois officially staked its claim as one of the top teams in the country this week, landing at No. 3 in the Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll. Brad Underwood's squad certainly looked like it in its 105-96 exhibition victory at Cincinnati that saw six players in double figures and freshman guard Quentin Coleman play like a potential lottery pick. Beat writer Scott Richey, who was on the ground in the Queen City, discusses Illinois' place in the preseason poll, the exhibition win and more in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Illinois will be in action for the first time this weekend with a Saturday date in Cincinnati with the Bearcats. The first of three exhibition games on the schedule might not count, but it will provide an opportunity to see what this team is all about — even if David Mirkovic likely won't be available. There are enough newcomers, however, to make the trip to the Queen City intriguing. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses the exhibition season and is recently-submitted AP Top 25 preseason ballot in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

The results of the annual preseason Big Ten media poll came as expected Monday morning. Illinois is the projected favorite to cut down the nets in 2026-27. How many Big Ten titles that might mean — and if that act is repeated in Detroit in April — is what will be decided in the next seven months. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses that and more, including a heavy dose of recruiting, in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Bringing back seven players and five key rotation pieces from a Final Four team? That was a big deal for Illinois this offseason. Equally as important, though, was Brad Underwood keeping his entire coaching staff together — from associate head coach Orlando Antigua to even some graduate assistants. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses that and more in this week's Inside Illini Baketball.

Illinois had a quartet of five-star recruits on campus this past weekend. That's what happens when you make the Final Four and now regularly boast one-and-done first-round draft picks. Beat writer Scott Richey spoke with Darius Wabbington, Moussa Kamissoko, Bentley Lusakueno and Dylan Betts last Saturday and breaks down their visit in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

The start of the 2026-27 college basketball season is within sight. Practices will ramp up at the end of this month ahead of October exhibitions and early November openers across the country. A perfect time for beat writer Scott Richey to weigh in on 10 things he thinks he knows about Illinois in this week's "Inside Illini Basketball."

Past Illinois basketball stars and potential future stars will be on campus this weekend, with the Illini bringing back new Hall of Fame inductees Ayo Dosunmu and James Augustine and expecting five-star guard NaVorro Bowman Jr. for an official visit. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses that and more on a special Labor Day edition of Inside Illini Basketball.

Workouts are underway again at Ubben Basketball Complex with the majority of the team back from their summer vacations save for Tomislav Ivisic, who is stuck in Croatia. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses that, a finalized 15-man roster, the Illinois coaching staff and expectations for Andrej Stojakovic in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Summer is officially over with classes resuming this week in Champaign. That means the college basketball season is right around the corner. Practices start in a month, then a series of exhibition games and before you know it that Nov. 2 season opener will be here. Illinois will enter this preseason with good vibes only even as David Mirkovic goes through rehab and recovery after foot surgery. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses where the program stands post-summer in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

There's still a week left before the 2026-27 Illinois basketball team returns to campus, so the brief summer slowdown mostly continues. Except on the recruiting front, with five-star visitors Brady Pettigrew and Darius Wabbington set to spend some time in Champaign. Roster building has taken on a different level during Brad Underwood's tenure where five-star visitors are now more likely to turn into five-star commits. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses that and more (namely a couple of underrated basketball movies) in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Summer workouts wrapped up last week for Illinois, with the players (and coaches) getting a short break before preparation resumes for the 2026-27 season. Fall work that will happen, of course, without David Mirkovic for an indeterminate amount of time while he recovers from early August foot surgery. That could open the door for one of the Illinois freshman to carve out a bigger role moving forward, which beat writer Scott Richey discusses, among several other topics, in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Illinois will close out its summer workouts this week. With the new school year is just around the corner we quizzed beat writer Scott Richey on all things Illinois basketball, including the state of this year's team, what's next for some former players and a diversion into the music world with a Meyers Leonard concert coming to Champaign next month. All that and more highlights this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Brad Underwood has plenty going on to make him happy as summer nears its unofficial end. Stefan Vaaks is back and getting reacclimated with his teammates. Andrej Stojakovic is healthy again. Important steps toward locking in on the court. Off the court, Illinois is bringing in more money courtesy of a $30 million jersey sponsorship deal that could help Underwood pay for future rosters. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses all that and more in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

The dean of Big Ten sportswriters and a U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Famer, News-Gazette columnist Loren Tate is as high on Brad Underwood's program as anyone around. The man behind 'Tatelines' joins Inside Illini Basketball to explain his optimism — and revisit the aftermath of the Illini's three most recent Final Four appearances.

Las Vegas has become the center of the basketball world. Particularly this past weekend with NBA Summer League ongoing and Nike taking its EBYL circuit to the desert. Both had plenty of Illinois-centric storylines between a dozen former Illinois standouts (short timers included) playing in Summer League and several recruiting targets to watch among Nike's best. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses all that and more in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

That's "slam dunk" in Estonian, and adding the Tabasalu native out of the transfer portal was exactly that for Illinois this offseason. Vaaks fits the mold Brad Underwood prefers with positional size and shooting and no glaring gap in his overall skill set. A combination that's worked well for the Estonian national team this month and projects to be a big deal in Champaign for the 2026-27 season. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses Vaaks, NBA Summer League and recruiting in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Workouts continue for Illinois, with the whole team save for Stefan Vaaks (back in Estonia for World Cup qualifiers) on campus and putting in the summer grind. David Mirkovic has been among the summer standouts — both on the court and for his work with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses the goings on at Ubben, the NBA draft and Summer League opportunities in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

This is a big week for Illinois with Keaton Wagler (and maybe Kylan Boswell) in the 2026 NBA Draft and the second week of summer workouts underway at Ubben Basketball Complex. Lottery pick. Reports of an impressive 2026-27 team in Champaign. Things really are coming up Illinois. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses that and more, including some recruting tidbits, in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.

Roster retention put Illinois in position to be considered one of the top teams in the country heading into the 2026-27 season. But there are still roles to fill in the rotation, including a rather notable Keaton Wagler-sized hole. Figuring out a familiar, but still semi-new look roster and rotation will be priority No. 1 with summer workouts underway this month. Beat writer Scott Richey discusses that and more in this week's Inside Illini Basketball.