The dust has now settled from the NBA Draft process chaos, and the Illinois basketball team has emerged cleaner than ever.
There was about a month of nerves that kept building and building as the Illini awaited Andrej Stojakovic’s decision on heading to the NBA or coming back to the Orange and Blue.
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Stojakovic made that decision this past Wednesday, and with his return comes a ton of national attention. Some of that attention has Stojakovic looked at as one of the best returning players in the country, and other attention is more geared towards the team.
In a recent article by Rodney Knuppel of Busting Brackets, the projected top 25 teams in the country were laid out after all of the NBA Draft hoopla.
You have all of the big names throughout the top 25. Kentucky, Kansas, and Arizona are all a part of the festivities. You scroll down, anxiously looking for the Illini. That is when you see us.
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No. 1.
Illinois is projected as the No. 1 team in the country according to the article. The Stojakovic decision was big in the determination of having us as the top team in all the land, as Knuppel puts it, “Andrej Stojakovic returning completely changed the national picture…”
While Stojakovic isn’t the best player on the Illinois basketball team, he is another weapon for Illinois to go to when they need a spark or some tough aggression toward the hoop.
Illinois basketball will have to compete with a ton of stout Big Ten teams that don this top 25
It is fun seeing Illinois in the top five, let alone as the potential best team in the country. Being No. 1 on this list gave me goosebumps, but the season hasn’t started, and the current rendition hasn’t proved a thing without Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell on the court.
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Illinois’ journey back to, at least, the Final Four is going to be tough. Knuppel lays out his top 25, and it is full of Big Ten opponents.
Michigan sits at No. 5 on the list. They lost a ton of talent, but Dusty May is arguably the best coach in college basketball, so I am sure that team will be just fine.
Illinois has to compete with Michigan State, which is No. 6 in the country. Jeremy Fears Jr. returns to the Spartans for what seems like year 15 for him. No. 20 Purdue and No. 24 Ohio State round out the Big Ten teams that are in the top 25.
Brad Underwood has one of the biggest tests on his hands in 2026-27. Illinois was always expected to win and compete for the second weekend in the NCAA tournament. Now, the expectations are a national championship. The stress test is on.
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This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as Andrej Stojakovic returning puts Illinois basketball in the driver’s seat nationally.
