Ups and downs aside, this season has been a success for the Illini

Story byUps and downs aside, this season has been a success for the IlliniEVANSTON, IL - JANUARY 14: Illinois Fighting Illini center Zvonimir Ivisic (44), Illinois Fighting Illini forward Ben Humrichous (3), and Illinois Fighting Illini forward Jake Davis (15) celebrate with the bench during a college basketball game between the Illinois Fighting Illini and the Northwestern Wildcats on January 14, 2026, at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, IL. (Photo by Patrick Gorski/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty ImagesClayton GoekenThu, March 12, 2026 at 3:13 AM UTC·2 min read

After a few early non conference losses, the Illini got off to a hot start during the beginning of conference play. They won 11 of their first 12 conference games, and even won 12 games in a row from late December through early February. The rest of February went much differently unfortunately.

Finishing with a 15-5 conference record after starting 11-1 is definitely less than ideal.

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While the ladder may be true, this season was still a huge success overall. The Illini finished fourth in the Big Ten and secured the double bye for the Big Ten Tournament, and they spent a good portion of the season in the top 10 for both NET and KenPom rankings.

They also won at Mackey for the first time since  2020 (thank you, Ayo Dosunmu and Kofi Cockburn).

They also won 24 regular season games, which is the most in coach Brad Underwood’s nine years at the helm. You could argue this is Brad Underwood’s best team at Illinois; in my opinion it’s neck and neck between this year’s team and the 2020-21 team. Although neither of those teams had senior year Terrence Shannon. Which team from Brad Underwood’s tenure at Illinois do you believe is the best?

Some may so the Illini underachieved this year, and I can see why with multiple close losses. Pair that with the extremely potential that this team has shown, the season may seem disappointing in some ways. However, it’s important to keep the big picture in perspective. This team is likely comfortably set as a 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, they have been ranked in or near the top 10 for the majority of the season, and they have gotten more production than they could’ve hoped for from multiple players.

Barring a first weekend exit, which is extremely unlikely in my opinion, I will undoubtedly view this season as an overall success.

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