By IlliniGuys Staff

October 13, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The nation's media clearly respect what Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is building as they place the Illini 17th in the preseason Associated Press poll.

Underwood opens his 9th season in Champaign with his highest preseason ranking since Illinois began the 2021-22 season at number 11.

Illinois reached the NCAA Tournament for the fifth straight year last season, defeating Xavier before losing to Kentucky in the second round. It was the fourth time in that stretch that the Illini won at least one game in the tournament.

Illinois returns guard Kylan Boswell and center Tomislav Ivisic from last year's starting lineup and reserve forwards Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous. Former 5-star high school prospect Andrej Stojakovic transferred in after playing his first two seasons at Stanford and Cal, respectively and Ivisic's twin brother Zvonimir joins the team after single seasons at Kentucky and Arkansas.

New to the college game are international prospects Mihailo Petrovic and David Mirkovic while former prep stars Brandon Lee and Keaton Wagler figure to compete for playing time coming off the bench.

The Illini will face nine teams in the preseason AP Top 25 during the regular season; Purdue (#1), UConn (#4), Michigan (#7), Texas Tech (#10), UCLA (#12), Alabama (#15), Tennessee (#18), Michigan State (#22), and Wisconsin (#24). They will also conduct a "secret scrimmage" with defending national champion and 3rd ranked Florida later this month.

It's the 7th straight year Illinois lands in the AP poll during the season, their longest run since making the national rankings seven years in a row from 2008-2015.

Illinois will host Illinois State in an exhibition on Sunday at State Farm Center before opening the season against Jackson State on November 3rd.