Illinois women’s basketball is back in the national rankings to open the season, and this time the respect is coming from two places.
The Illini landed at No. 23 in the preseason AP poll and No. 22 in the coaches poll after a 22-12 season that finished with a 9-9 mark in Big Ten play and an NCAA Tournament win. For a program that has not been a regular in this neighborhood, it’s an eye-catching place to start. Illinois also opened the 2023-24 season ranked No. 23, after reaching as high as No. 21 the year before, but it had not shown up in the AP poll before then since 2000-01.
This year’s ranking feels earned. Illinois got last season rolling with a 13-1 start, then settled into roughly .550 basketball after the New Year. That early surge was enough to get the Illini into the NCAA Tournament, where they beat Colorado in the first round before falling to Vanderbilt in the second.
What makes the case even stronger now is the roster continuity. Illinois returns all five starters from 2025-26, which is a massive edge in a sport where lineups and roles usually turn over fast. Chemistry matters, and this team already has it.
The bench could be part of the reason Illinois takes another step. Aaliyah Guyton returns as the top reserve, and while that label might not sound flashy, it carries real weight here. She’s the kind of player who can swing the shape of a season, whether that means nudging Illinois a couple of spots higher in the Big Ten or helping determine whether the Illini are tracking toward another NCAA berth or something more.
Guyton gives Illinois scoring pop that few bench players can match. She can create off the dribble, shoot coming off screens, and run the point in pick-and-roll situations.
She also brings real value on the defensive end, where she can make life difficult for opposing point guards. On a lot of teams, she would start.
For Illinois, she’s the first spark off the bench.
That role seemed to suit her especially well late in the Big Ten season, and if she can bring that same consistency over a full year, Illinois has another gear.
There is, though, a clear area that could decide how far this team goes: close games. Illinois won 22 times last season, but only three of those victories came by three points or fewer. Big wins are nice, but tight games are where seasons get defined, especially in conference play.
If the Illini can’t handle those late-game moments better, another middle-of-the-pack Big Ten finish is still on the table. But if this veteran group starts stacking a few of those narrow wins, the ceiling changes fast. Two or three more conference victories could push Illinois from something like an eight seed to a six seed in the NCAA Tournament, and that kind of jump can be the difference between an early exit and a real postseason run.
So yes, the ranking makes sense. But for Illinois, No. 23 may be more of a launch point than a destination.
In Other News...
Illinois Just Showed Why This Offense Might Finally Change
Saturday in Champaign offered a glimpse of what Illinois can look like when it plays to its personnel instead of forcing something else. The Illini beat Oregon 21-10 for their first win over the Ducks in 56 years, and the formula was familiar in the best possible way: a sturdier defense, a commitment to the run, and enough balance to keep the game on Illinois terms. Aidan Laughery helped carry the load, freshman Javari Barnett added meaningful production, and the offense looked far more comfortable leaning into what was working.
The more intriguing part may have been the way sophomore quarterback Carson Boyd was used. Illinois did not treat him as a one-dimensional option, mixing him in as both a runner and a passer in a way that hints at something broader for the offense moving forward. Whether that becomes a true two-quarterback setup or just another wrinkle, it is the kind of flexibility that could matter as the season goes on, especially if the Illini want this win to be more than a one-game outlier. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Is Counting On Zvonimir Ivisic In One Crucial Area
At 7-foot-2 with a 7-7 wingspan, Zvonimir Ivisic already gives Illinois something it cannot manufacture elsewhere: size that can alter shots and change how opponents attack the paint. The scouting report around him points to a player whose best value often comes on the defensive end, where his reach and timing can make him a real deterrent, while his offensive game has been more about flashes than consistency as he has moved through Kentucky, Arkansas and now Illinois.
For the Illini, the important part is not just that Ivisic can block shots or finish around the rim, but that he settles into a dependable role as a reserve in the 2026-27 season. Illinois is counting on him to provide steady interior defense and enough offense to keep second-unit lineups functional, which makes his development in one crucial area a meaningful subplot for a team that will need reliable minutes off the bench. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Just Turned Oregons Season Into Something Much Bigger
The 21-10 loss to Illinois left Oregon at 4-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, and it also forced an immediate change on the Ducks staff. What looked like a midseason stumble quickly became something more consequential, with the offensive issues from that afternoon drawing a response that went beyond the scoreboard.
Drew Mehringer is no longer Oregons offensive coordinator, a move that underscores how sharply the Ducks season has shifted after the trip to Champaign. For Illinois, the win carries the kind of weight that extends beyond one result, because it helped push a Big Ten opponent into a deeper examination of everything from scheme to position-group performance. [Read more 🡒]