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Illinois is coming off its best season in two decades, and Brad Underwood has the pieces to do it again.

The Fighting Illini went 28-9 last season and made their first Final Four since 2005 before falling 71-62 to UConn in Indianapolis. It was a breakthrough year for a program that’s been knocking on the door for a while.

The biggest loss is Keaton Wagler, who left for the NBA Draft after a breakout freshman season. Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous are gone, too. That’s a lot of backcourt production to replace.

Still, Underwood kept most of his core together, which is rare these days. Andrej Stojakovic, David Mirkovic and the Ivisic twins, Tomislav and Zvonimir, are all back. He also added Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks and five-star freshman Quentin Coleman to help fill the backcourt void.

The question mark is Mirkovic. The sophomore forward had foot surgery in early August, and there’s still no timeline for his return. Illinois is being careful, and how quickly he gets back to full strength could shape their entire season.

When he’s healthy, this is a top-five team with one of the country’s biggest frontcourts.

We break down our best bets for the Illini in 2026-27, including their win total, futures, and where Mirkovic stands in the Wooden Award race. Plus, new users can bet $10 on college basketball futures and get $200 in Bonus Bets win or lose at bet365 Sportsbook.

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Illinois odds for the 2026 season

Illinois Big Ten win total prediction

Illinois needs to go 16-4 in Big Ten play to cash the Over. They went 15-5 last season with a lottery pick running the show, and that would fall short here.

Consistency has been Underwood’s calling card. The Illini have won 96 Big Ten games over the last seven seasons, more than anyone else in the league. The home slate is favorable, too, with Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Penn State, UCLA and USC all coming to Champaign, plus home-and-homes with Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin.

The road is where it gets tricky. Illinois has to visit Michigan, Indiana, Maryland, Oregon, Washington, Minnesota and Rutgers, and February brings a brutal stretch against Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue in consecutive games.

The Mirkovic injury is the deciding factor for me. Even if he’s back by the opener, foot injuries can linger, and it may take him weeks to get his conditioning back. Illinois is also building a new backcourt with Vaaks and Coleman, and that usually comes with growing pains.

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Where to bet on the Illinois Fighting Illini 

Here are some of the current sportsbook welcome offers to consider when comparing legal betting sites. Promotions change frequently and depend on state eligibility.

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Illinois best futures bets for 2026-27

Illinois is +1400 on DraftKings to win the national title. They’ve never won one, and last year’s Final Four was just their sixth trip, so this is about as good a shot as they’ve had in a long time.

The Final Four loss to UConn showed exactly what they need to fix. Illinois shot just 23.1% from three and had only three assists in that game. When the offense bogged down, nobody besides Wagler could create.

That’s where Vaaks comes in. He averaged 15.8 points per game at Providence and gives Illinois another ball-handler who can get his own shot. Coleman, a five-star guard, should add even more shot-making.

There’s real value at 14-1 if Mirkovic returns at full strength. I’d still want a better read on his recovery before jumping in, but this price could look awfully short if Illinois gets off to a strong start against Texas Tech, Duke and UConn.

Illinois is the favorite to win the Big Ten at +120 on DraftKings, and I think that’s a fair price in a league that looks wide open. Michigan won the regular-season title last season, but the Wolverines lost Dusty May to the Dallas Mavericks. Purdue won the Big Ten Tournament, and Michigan State has Jeremy Fears Jr., but neither has the size Illinois can throw at teams.

That’s the biggest edge here. The Ivisic twins are both 7-footers, and with Mirkovic, the Illini can overwhelm teams inside in a way nobody else in the conference can. Tomislav Ivisic proved he can deliver on the biggest stage, scoring 16 points in the Final Four loss.

I don’t think it’ll take 16 wins to win this league. With so much parity at the top, a 15-5 record could easily be enough, which is why I’m comfortable taking Illinois to win the Big Ten while still leaning Under on their win total.

• David Mirkovic to win Big Ten Player of the Year (+1500 at Caesars)

If you want a piece of Mirkovic this season, this is the better way to bet on him. He’s +1500 on Caesars to win Big Ten Player of the Year, and the injury matters a lot less here than it does in the Wooden Award race.

Conference awards are decided by conference play. Illinois has just two Big Ten games in December before league play picks up for good on Jan. 2. If Mirkovic needs some time to work his way back, that’s November and December, when the games that matter for this award are mostly nonconference.

The opportunity is there, too. Keaton Wagler’s departure to the NBA leaves a ton of shots and touches up for grabs, and Mirkovic is the most proven returning piece. He started 36 of 37 games as a freshman on a Final Four team, so the bigger role shouldn’t rattle him.

The field is also more open than usual. Last year’s Big Ten Player of the Year, Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, is gone, and the clear favorite is Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears Jr. Beyond him, no dominant name leads this league.

There’s still risk. Foot injuries can linger, and Illinois has enough talent that Mirkovic doesn’t have to carry them every night. That said, if Illinois wins the Big Ten as I expect and Mirkovic is healthy by January, he’s got a real case as the best player on the best team. At 15-1, I’ll take a shot.

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Illinois National Championship odds

Illinois opened at +1800 on DraftKings to win the 2027 title back in April. They’ve since moved to +1400, putting them a tier below Florida and Duke, both +600 on DraftKings.

That gap mostly comes down to Mirkovic. Florida and Duke enter the season fully healthy, while Illinois still doesn’t know when its best returning player will be back to 100%.

The talent is there, though. Andrej Stojakovic averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds as Illinois’ second-leading scorer last season, and he’ll take on a bigger role with Wagler gone. Combine that with the Ivisic twins up front and a Final Four run already under their belt, and the Illini have the pieces to close the gap on the top two.

If Mirkovic returns at full strength and Illinois survives November, this number won’t stay at 14-1 for long.

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Illinois schedule analysis

Brad Underwood never shies away from a tough schedule, and the numbers back that up. Illinois ranked 12th nationally in strength of schedule on KenPom last season, after ranking fourth in 2025 and 17th in 2024. This year’s slate looks just as demanding, with Bart Torvik projecting it as the sixth-toughest in the country.

What makes it unique is where the big games are played. All five of Illinois’ high-major nonconference opponents come away from Champaign, either on the road or at neutral sites. That’s a different approach than the other top contenders. Duke gets Illinois at Cameron Indoor, and Florida gets Duke at home. Illinois gets no such break, and it has six nonconference games against teams that made last season’s NCAA Tournament.

The tradeoff is the rest of the slate. Illinois plays seven home games against low and mid-major opponents, which gives them some breathing room between the heavyweights and should help a new backcourt find its rhythm. Even with the tough schedule, Torvik has the Illini favored in 28 of their 32 games and projects them to finish 24-8.

The Illini open Nov. 2 against Fairleigh Dickinson, a rematch of last season’s 105-70 first-rou. Then the schedule gets serious in a hurry, with a trip to Texas Tech on Nov. 10 and a visit to Duke on Nov. 17. Illinois is just 1-4 against Duke since 2000, and two road games against top-10 caliber teams in one week is a brutal test, especially if Mirkovic isn’t back to full strength.

The biggest nonconference game might be UConn on Dec. 4 in Chicago. The Huskies have beaten Illinois three straight times, including a 74-61 win last November and the Final Four loss in April, so there’s plenty of revenge motivation.

Illinois also faces Missouri in the Braggin’ Rights game in St. Louis on Dec. 20 and North Carolina, under new coach Michael Malone, in Nashville on Jan. 30. That late-January game breaks up Big Ten play and gives the Illini one more resume-builder heading into February.

The Big Ten slate is just as unforgiving. Ten of Illinois’ league games come against teams that made last season’s NCAA Tournament, and the Illini open conference play on the road for the fifth straight year, at Minnesota on Dec. 8, before hosting Penn State on Dec. 12.

January opens with a trip to Wisconsin on Jan. 2, followed by home games against Purdue and Ohio State. The regular season wraps with a trip to Rutgers and Senior Night against Iowa on March 6, ahead of the Big Ten Tournament in Indianapolis from March 9-14.

All told, Illinois will have no shortage of chances to build an elite resume. If they come out of November with one loss or fewer, they’ll be right in the mix for a No. 1 seed.

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