BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This story is part of a series that will continue through October. Is Indiana better than each of its Big Ten opponents?

Nine categories were retained. There will be no ties in individual categories. Think of it like the Supreme Court.

The categories: point guard play, free throw, inside scoring, perimeter shooting, rebounding, perimeter defense, rim protection, the number of proven Power Five talents on the roster and intangibles.

The daily series will cover both the men’s and women’s basketball teams, and will alternate between teams.

The Illinois men are next…you better get a scorecard.

Missing from the Elite Eight team are point guard Terrance Shannon, forwards Marcus Domask, Quincy Guerrier and Coleman Hawkins, center Dain Dainja and, of course, guard Luke Goode, who is a center. Illinois who lost 77-52 to eventual champion Connecticut. More fun.

Despite this, national pundits still believe in Illinois, coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini. Illinois narrowly missed being in the preseason top 25 as it reloaded in the minds of many.

Here’s how the battle between the Hoosiers and Fighting Illini plays out.

• Point guard play – Illinois has several options. Arizona transfer Kylan Boswell (9.6 ppg, 3.6 apg) has the ability to run the show. Illinois also brings in freshman Kasparas Jakucionis from Lithuania. He averaged 5.3 assists with FC Barcelona’s second team in Spain.

Illinois will probably be good here, but Indiana has more evidence to suggest it will be good. Myles Rice, Trey Galloway and Gabe Cupps form a more settled crew for Indiana. Edge: Indiana.

• Free throw shooting – Mercer transfer Jake Davis (84.8%), Boswell (79.5%), Evansville transfer Ben Humrichous (75.7%) and Louisville transfer Tre White (75.2%) all top the few free throw shooters over 70% that Indiana has. . Jakucionis also shot 88% for Barcelona. Edge: Illinois.

• Interior notation – Illinois has the potential to be dangerous in the paint, but that relies on true freshmen Will Riley and Morez Johnson standing out immediately. Notre Dame transfer Carey Booth is also in the mix. Indiana is much more confident in the lane with Malik Reneau (15.4 ppg) and Oumar Ballo (12.9 ppg). Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter shooting – The influx of new talent into Illinois includes plenty of shooters. Humrichous (41.4% at Evansville), Jakucionis (38% at Barcelona), Davis (38.7% at Mercer) and Boswell (37.9% at Arizona) can all fill it from the arc. Save Boswell, the only question is can they do it against Big Ten defenses. Indiana hit Illinois straight by taking Fort Wayne native Goode (38.7%) away from Champaign, but Indiana can’t quite match what Illinois brings to the perimeter. Edge: Illinois.

• Bounce – Ty Rodgers is a big 6-foot-6 guard and he averaged 5.3 rebounds in 2024, but everyone else on the Illini roster is all potential, unproven commodity. That’s not the case for Indiana, as Ballo (10.1 RPG) and Reneau (6 RPG) are proven enough producers to put Illinois in the shade. Edge: Indiana.

• Perimeter defense – Boswell (1.4 spg) has been disruptive for Arizona and Rodgers can guard all points from the backcourt and beyond. Part of Illinois’ strength here depends on White’s improvement after playing for a terrible Louisville team in 2024. Also, the progress Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn makes in his overall game. Illinois’ unproven roster hurts it when it comes to these comparisons, especially when Indiana has so much veteran talent. Edge: Indiana.

• Defense at the rim – Hawkins, Rodgers, Domask and Dainja made Illinois a challenge in the paint, but only Rodgers returns. If the Illini want to stay stingy at the rim, they’ll need Booth to take the next step and have Humrichous and Johnson figure things out quickly in the Big Ten. Ballo and Reneau have more experience with the Power Five wars. Edge: Indiana.

• Proven Power 5 Ability on List – The standard here is whether a player played an average of 25 minutes or more at the Power Five level at their current or former school.

Considering the players that have moved, Illinois won’t fare well here. White (at Louisville) and Boswell are the only qualifiers in orange and blue. Indiana’s group of six proven Power Five producers (Kanaan Caryle, Mackenzie Mgbako, Ballo, Galloway, Reneau and Rice) easily wins this category. Edge: Indiana.

• Intangible assets – It’s quite simple. Illinois hopes to cook a stew based on transfers and a dollop of highly touted freshmen. It could work, but the range for Illinois’ performance in 2025 is very wide. They could be awesome. They could finish outside the top 10 in the Big Ten. Indiana isn’t without its own question marks, but the range of possible outcomes doesn’t seem as broad as it could be for the Illini. Edge: Indiana.

• Verdict – Indiana wins 7-2. Illinois could very well be better than that margin suggests, but they have so many unproven pieces that it’s difficult for the Illini to win a preseason matchup battle against a team with the experienced pieces of the team. ‘Indiana.

Previous Is Indiana better than men’s basketball results

Oregon – Indiana 7-2.

Rutgers – Indiana 7-2.

Maryland – Indiana 6-3.

U.S.C. – Indiana 6-3.

Penn State – Indiana 5-4.

Minnesota – Indiana 6-3.

Michigan – Indiana 6-3.

UCLA – UCLA 5-4.

Ohio State – Indiana 7-2.

Iowa – Indiana 5-4.

Michigan State – Indiana 5-4.

Washington – Indiana 8-1.

Wisconsin – Indiana 7-2.

Northwest – Indiana 5-4.

Nebraska – Indiana 6-3.