Sporting News has us at #3
“3. Illinois
Coach: Brad Underwood
Key returnees: C Kofi Cockburn, PG Andre Curbelo, SG Trent Frazier, SG Da’Monte Williams, SG Jacob Grandison
Key additions: SG Austin Hutcherson, PF Omar Payne, SG Alphonso Plummer
2021 finish: 24-7, NCAA second round
Why they’re here: They’ve got the best center in college basketball and maybe the best point guard – isn’t that a great place for the Illini to start? Well, progress from there will have to include Cockburn adding more versatility to his game and, more important, Curbelo showing he can make a jumpshot. And beyond that, there’s whether Hutcherson is the approximation of Duncan Robinson – from Division III star to Division I standout – as his practice performances suggest, and what role Plummer will fill on a team that has three veteran guards. And who provides the length to make the perimeter defense work at last season’s elite level?“
https://www.sportingnews.com/us/ncaa-basketball/news/college-basketball-rankings-gonzaga-ucla-preseason-top-25/1ak3dhubc7s621qdntk2poggfx