In his updated 2026–27 Way-Too-Early Top 25 rankings, ESPN's Jeff Borzello has Illinois slotted at No. If this holds into the fall, it will mark just the fourth time in program history, and the first since the 2004-05 season, that the Fighting Illini enter a season ranked in the preseason Top 5. AdvertisementAdvertisement AdvertisementNotably, this ranking came out before the Illini announced David Mirkovic underwent surgery last week. Brad Underwood has built a roster with both a high floor and a massive ceiling, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see the Illini this high in the preseason polls. Illinois will officially start their high-expectation campaign at home when they host Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday, Nov. 2.