Key Points
Bullet point summary by AI
- The 2026 Illinois Fighting Illini, led by the veteran Balkan Bloc, aim to match the legacy of the 2005 Final Four team.
- This year’s squad relies on a balanced offense and seasoned overseas talent, contrasting the 2005 team's dominant backcourt.
- Illinois faces UConn with a chance to overcome historical trends and potentially surpass their 2005 predecessors in the tournament.
It’s been more than 20 years since Illinois’ last run to the Final Four. That 2005 team and run featured Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head as the backcourt that gave every team hell that faced them. That is every team except for North Carolina, who stole a national championship from their grasp. This year’s team doesn’t have Brown, Williams or Head. But it does have the Balkan Bloc.
The quartet of Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivii, Andrej Stojakovi, and David Mirkovi are the core of this team and what they’ve been able to accomplish. That’s the benefit of landing players with overseas professional experience. Brad Underwood understands the importance of experience which is why he went the veteran route, also turning to the transfer portal to fill out the European roster.
The benchmark: What that 2005 Illinois Final Four team was
This year’s team and the 2005 Final Four Illinois team are so similar it’s kind of scary. But when the backcourt of Brown, Head and Williams took the court, opposing teams had no answer. Their only regular season loss that year was to Ohio State — a one-point loss at that. Of their 39 total games played (including the NCAA Tournament run), 31 of them were blowouts by 10 or more points.
That 2005 Illinois team wasn’t just winning, they were embarrassing their opponents. It’s one of the many reasons the ‘05 team is regarded as one of the best in program history. Sure it helped reach the Final Four and national title game, but that team was as good as any and simply ran into a buzzsaw. In a way, that’s kind of the same situation with this year’s Illinois team.
What the 2026 Illinois team looks like now
The 2026 Fighting Illini have been very similar in that their wins have been blowouts. That said a late-season stretch showed some holes the 2005 didn’t have. This team is full of ex-pros from overseas and that’s been their biggest advantage. Sure it helps that they’re playing their best basketball at the right time, but older teams typically do better in the NCAA Tournament. Underwood runs a system based on efficiency. So while Illinois won’t shoot you out of the gym per se, they do have an efficient half-court offense.
The biggest difference that actually matters for Illinois
The biggest difference is that while Keaton Wagler is the team’s leading scorer, averaging nearly 18 points per game, he’s not the sole offensive provider. This year’s Illinois team has multiple guys that can score. The ‘05 team had multiple scorers, but Head was the predominant scorer for that team. The fact that Illinois has a go-to scorer but can rely on four other guys to get into double figures goes to show why Illinois' offense is so good.
The size of this year’s team is a big difference as well. Even Illinois’ guards are all taller compared to the 2005 roster. This team has proven they’re battle-tested and proven they can beat the best. Even with a late-season stretch that was below their standards, they’ve returned to the strong start they had to the season. Now they’ll have their toughest test of the season: A UConn team that survived the brutal East regional.
Where this Illinois team is better and where it falls short
The one thing this year’s Illinois does better than the ‘05 team is having more scorers leading the box score and having a more polished system. Because this team is full of ex-overseas professionals, it makes their philosophy a little more focused. This isn’t your typical college team filled with juniors and seniors and some star freshmen. This is a roster of players that have played at the highest level and bring that IQ with them to Illinois. You can’t coach that, which is why this Illinois team is better than they’re getting credit for.
That said, they don’t have the defense or assists the ‘05 team had. The older Illinois team had the benefit of Williams being a pass-first guard and deferring a lot to head and Brown. Williams led the team with 6.8 assists during that Final Four run season. Wagler is the team's leading scorer and has the most assists (4.6) on the team. They average four less assists than the ‘05 team did this season as well.
What history tells us about this team’s title chances
History tells us that this Illinois team won’t make it past the Final Four game. The 2005 team was the only team to make it to the national championship and this will be the program’s sixth Final Four appearance. That said, they could be a sleeper to watch against UConn. The Huskies had to fight back against Duke to pull off the win and Illinois could catch fire early and surprise them. Illinois has run the score up on teams this year, averaging 84.4 points per game this season and averaging 79.3 points per game during the NCAA Tournament.
I think the UConn game will be somewhat high scoring. I don’t think both teams will reach the 90s, but the winning team might need 80 points to win. I could see both teams getting hot or one team having to fight back to get into the game. This game will be better than people expect. Will Illinois be able to best the ‘05 team and win a national championship or will history repeat itself and end their dream season, one game short of playing for a national championship?