5 Expectations for Illinois Women's Basketball in 2026-27
After just four years in Champaign, Illinois women's basketball coach Shauna Green has completely turned around a long-mediocre program. Green has led the Illini to the NCAA Tournament in three of her four seasons, and in each of the past two seasons Illinois has won a tournament game - its first since the turn of the century. With all five starters returning from the 2025-26 club, expectations are as high as they have been since the early years of Theresa Grentz's tenure, back in the late 1990s. So what are realistic expectations Illini fans should have for this team? No, they're not. As experienced and talented as the Illini may be this season, the Big Ten is absolutely stacked with talent - and they don't quite measure up.Illinois may be capable of knocking off a UCLA, Iowa, Michigan or USC somewhere along the way this season, but over the long haul, those other schools figure to…
