CHAMPAIGN — Preseason polls are rolling out, and Illinois basketball is getting some love ahead of the 2025-26 season.
The Fighting Illini are ranked No. 17 in The Associated Press Top 25 preseason poll released Monday. Illinois was not ranked in the final AP Top 25 and coaches polls in 2024-25 after a 22-win season that ended in the NCAA Tournament Round of 32 loss to Kentucky.
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The Big Ten had six teams in the first Top 25, led by No. 1 overall Purdue. Also ranked are No. 7 Michigan, No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Illinois, No. 22 Michigan State and No. 24 Wisconsin.
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Illinois basketball rankings
At least five other top 25 rankings of note were released over the last week, all with Illinois in the mix.
Jeff Borzello of ESPN has Illinois at No. 16 on the strength of its international transfers. Kevin Sweeney and Sports Illustrated, meanwhile, just released its story on Illinois, ranking the Illini at No. 15.
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“This year’s Illini team doesn’t have as much NBA talent as last year’s, but they’re older and more proven across the board,” Sweeney wrote. “… It’s going to be tough for anyone to catch Purdue, but Illinois is built to score with just about anyone.”
KenPom has Illinois No. 6 in the nation, expected to have the sixth-best offensive rating and 16th-best defensive rating in the country. Bart Torvik rated Illinois No. 7 in the country, including ninth in offense and 11th in defense. Meanwhile, Evan Miya has the Fighting Illini No. 8 in the country.
Gary Parrish at CBS Sports updated his Top 25 and 1 rankings throughout the summer, the last update coming on June 2. He had Illinois ranked at No. 24 in the country.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Where Illinois basketball lands in preseason polls, rankings
