Illinois wasted no time making a national statement to open the season, and the numbers were even louder than the final score.
The Illini crushed Fairleigh Dickinson 120-45 inside the State Farm Center, turning what was already expected to be a lopsided opener into a full-scale rout. FDU is one of the weakest teams in Division I, but Illinois still managed to exceed the most optimistic projections while showing off just how dangerous this group can be even with key pieces missing.
That mattered because the Illini did it without star player David Mirkovic and freshman Lincoln Williams, while senior Jake Davis exited early with a shoulder injury. Williams is expected back against Penn on Thursday night, but Mirkovic and Davis appear headed for longer absences.
Even with those injuries, Illinois’ opening-night demolition was enough to push the program to No. 1 in the country in Evan Miyakawa’s national analytical ranking. Miyakawa’s site has been one of the most respected numbers-based voices in college basketball, and he had already been bullish on Illinois before the season began.
He ranked the Illini No. 3 in the preseason and put them in the same tier as Duke and Florida at the top of the sport. After one game, Illinois has jumped past both and grabbed the top spot.
“Illinois’ absurd showing against FDU has me thinking… are the Illini the best team in the country?” Evan said on his recent podcast.
The profile behind that ranking is eye-popping. Through one game, Illinois owns a relative rating of 32.7, along with the best offensive rating in the country by a wide margin at 20.1. That offensive number is nearly four full points better than Duke’s 16.2, which sits second.
“If we looked up in a month and Illinois was the best team in the country, I think we might look back on this first night and say this was obvious from day one,” Evan added.
Defense was supposed to be one of the bigger questions for Brad Underwood’s team entering the year, but the opener offered a strong early answer. Illinois finished ranked seventh on the site defensively after holding FDU to 28% shooting from the field and 15% from three-point range. It’s still fair to wait and see how that holds up against power conference competition, but Camryn Crocker’s defense got off to a promising start.
One game is one game, and nobody is handing out trophies in November. Still, for an Illinois team carrying Final Four expectations, this was exactly the kind of start that gets attention. A similar performance against Penn on Thursday night would only widen the gap between the Illini and the rest of the Big Ten in the analytics world.
In Other News...
Quentin Coleman Just Gave Illinois Fans A Reason To Dream Big
Quentin Colemans first official college game gave Illinois something it can build on early, and it came in a way that should resonate with anyone watching the roster take shape. Against Fairleigh Dickinson, the freshman guard filled the box score with 13 points, 10 rebounds, 6 assists and 3 steals in 23 minutes, all while avoiding turnovers. For a player making his debut, it was the kind of all-around showing that suggests he can help in more than one way right away.
The analytics crowd noticed, too. EvanMiyas Bayesian Performance Rating had Coleman making the biggest jump in the country after the game, vaulting him to No. 28 nationally, and he was hardly alone in the surge. Three other Illinois freshmen also posted notable BPR gains from the same outing, giving the Illini a little more reason to believe their young core may be ahead of schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Has A Chance To Keep Rolling Before A Future Twist Emerges
Illinois gets Nebraska at Gies Memorial Stadium on November 6 with a chance to keep its momentum rolling after three straight wins. The Fighting Illini are 5-3 overall and 3-2 in conference play, and theyll meet a Cornhuskers team that arrives in the same overall spot but has dropped three in a row.
There is also a larger picture taking shape beyond this weeks matchup, with Illinois and Notre Dame set to play a two-game series in 2027 and 2028. For now, though, the focus stays on Nebraska and on whether the Illini can keep building before that future wrinkle comes into view. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Gets A More Telling Early Test Than Its Opener
Illinois opened its 2026-27 season with the kind of lopsided win that can make a team look ready for anything, but the next game should tell a lot more. Penn comes to the State Farm Center with most of its key players back from last season, and it brings a familiar face on the sideline in Fran McCaffery, which gives this matchup a little more substance than a routine early nonconference date.
For Illinois, the history is on its side, with a 7-0 record in the series and a recent 35-point NCAA Tournament win over the Quakers. Still, this one feels more useful as a measuring stick than the opener did, because Penn has enough continuity to ask a few real questions and give the Illini a better read on where they stand this early in the year. [Read more 🡒]