The Illinois Fighting Illini are one of the Big Ten's best hopes to go back-to-back this season coming off of Michigan's 2025-26 national championship. 

Coach Brad Underwood's team is picking up where it left off from a trip to the Final Four last season which included a 71-62 loss to eventual national runner-up UConn in at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

On Thursday, Underwood addressed the media at Big Ten Media Day, sharing a window into his team's perspective on their final loss last year and how it's driving them heading into 2026-27. 

Underwood channeled his inner Rick Pitino as he reminded the media that the Fighting Illini lost key players from last year's team. Illinois returns five of its top eight leading scorers, but Underwood is keeping everything in perspective. 

"Last year's team...Keaton Wagler's not coming through the door, Ben's (Humrichous) not comin' back through the door, let's make our own identity, and let's make it a better one," Underwood said according to Chris Boden.  

"And the only way we know to do that is work. And I think this group's really hungry, I think the veterans are hungry that they got a bad taste, a great feeling, but a bad taste that was left...We didn't play very well (against UConn), let's go try to be better." 

Illinois got 18 preseason votes compared to nine for runner-up Michigan State, taking home honors as the Big Ten Conference's preseason favorites at Media Day. 

Defending Big Ten and national champions, the Michigan Wolverines, got one vote in the poll, which was conducted by the Columbus Dispatch. 

UCLA, Nebraska, Purdue, USC, Ohio State, Indiana and Iowa rounded out the top ten of the Big Ten preseason poll, for a conference that won its first national championship since the year 2000 in 2025-26. 

The Fighting Illini's top returning scorers include Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Jake Davis. 

Departed star Wagler led the Illini in scoring last season and Humrichous finished seventh. Scoring isn't likely to be a problem for the Fighting Illini this season, but passing is a key area to focus on after last season's Final Four loss to the Huskies as Dan Hurley's UConn team finished with 14 assists to just three for Underwood's team. 

Illinois has the scoring, shot blocking, veteran leadership and youth infusion to win the Big Ten going away, now it will be up for Underwood and his staff to get the most out of his team. If the Fighting Illini can consistently play well as a team, keep the ball moving and lock in on defense, Underwood and his players could find themselves cutting down the nets at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, scoring the program's first-ever national championship in enemy territory.