2026-27 Women's Basketball Preview
One of my favorite times of the year is the day that I grab the big family calendar and meticulously write in every game and tip time for men and women's hoops. I'll then flip through over 60 games on the calendar and sit in my happy place.
And this whole year could be a happy place for Illini fans. The season is here and expectations for the women's team haven't been higher in over 25 years.
Recap of 2025-26 season
The storyline going into last season: can the talented Class of 2026 freshmen replace a veteran-laden team and keep the party going?
The answer: Yeah, and then some.
We knew those young ladies were talented (number seven ranked class in the nation), but these things take time, right? And two season-ending injuries to Manuella Alves and Erica Finney were reported before even one game was played. That vaunted class of five freshmen was already down to three.
No problem at all. Enter Destiny Jackson and Cearah Parchment.
Destiny set a record for most assists by an Illini freshman ever. Cece had the best freshman year EVER, setting records for most points and rebounds. I'd say they adjusted to the college game pretty well.
Berry took a big jump, Maddie was a microwave off the bench, Jas turned into a defensive stopper...and we wound up having a pretty darn good season. To wit:
2025-26 Illini
22-12 overall, 9-9 in the conference
Number 7 seed in the NCAA tournament
Round of 32 appearance
#31 in final Bart Torvik rankings (Offense #19, Defense #54)
Other highlights:
A top ten win (vs. Maryland)
A State Farm Center sellout (vs. USC)
Ranked #25 (for one week, but still!)
For a rebuilding season, that's pretty exciting stuff. And this coming year is the epitome of "running it back." We have our entire rotation returning and a touted transfer to boot. Let's play ball.
The 2026-27 Illinois Women's Basketball team
The Coach
Shauna Green enters her fifth season and she's already the second winningest coach in Illinois history. She should crack 100 wins this year (currently 85-47). Last year I listed off all her program accomplishments...I'll share that list again and add one:
Our last time with a winning conference record: 2012-13 (9-7)
Our last time with a winning overall record: 2012-13 (19-14)
Our last time winning 20 games: 2007-08 (20-15)
Our last time in the NCAA tourney: 2002-03
Our last time ranked in the AP top 25: 2000-01
Our last time winning an NCAA tourney game: 1999-2000
Our last time with at least 60 victories in three seasons: 1997-2000
The new "last time" that she reset: Our last time with at least a seven seed in the NCAA tourney: 1999-2000
What's the next hill to climb? Our last time in the Sweet Sixteen: 1997-98
Do we have a shot at breaking through to the second weekend this year? Sure, but the schedule will have a lot to say about that since a top four seed is really key to a Sweet Sixteen run.
Either way, we're in good hands, Illini fans. Shauna Green ain't going anywhere for awhile.
The Roster
I mentioned dozens of times last year that we'd just have to be patient, that this is a young roster. I won't say that once this year. Our top eight rotation players from last year are all back and this team won't need that excuse.
Expected Starters
Berry Wallace
Junior Forward, 6’1”
2025-26: 18.4 Pts, 6.2 Reb, 1.8 Ast
That stat line, impressive as it is, doesn't fully convey what Berry meant to us last year. She played 35 minutes a game, shot 53 percent from two, 35 percent from three, and 87 percent from the line. She made a HUGE sophomore leap and rightfully landed on the All Big Ten team.
If she didn't improve a lick in the offseason, she'd still be at the top of every scouting report...but we're hearing rumors of her developing her midrange game. Look out.
Jasmine Brown-Hagger
Senior Guard, 5’9”
2025-26: 6.7 Pts, 2.2 Reb, 1.7 Ast
I'm on the record as being completely nervous every time JBH touched the ball the past two seasons (her turnover percentage was off the charts for long stretches). But there was a shift about 2/3 of the way through last season. She became a vocal leader, a stout defender, and dare I say, a good offensive player? I couldn't believe it. I just know that when she got hurt in the Colorado game, I got antsy.
If she continues to fill the DaMonte Williams role on this team, I'll feel great about our floor this year.
Gretchen Dolan
Senior Guard, 5’11”
2025-26: 12.9 Pts, 3.4 Reb, 2.8 Ast
Oh Gretch. Two straight seasons that we lost her to a knee injury. I believe she missed 40ish games and I felt sick for her.
Gretchen runs pretty hot or cold (no one can hit a slump quite like her) typically. But when she's on, she's the plutonium in our flux capacitor. I'm praying for health and consistency for her this year. Her offensive punch is a difference-maker for this team.
Destiny Jackson
Sophomore Guard, 5’6”
2025-26: 9.9 Pts, 4.3 Reb, 5.2 Ast
Are you excited about a sophomore leap for this gal? Word on the street is that she's put on some muscle and developed an outside shot. If she can be a threat from outside, it just opens up so many options offensively for this team.
But come on, my favorite DJACK is defensive DJACK. She is torture for opposing point guards and she'll be even more so this year.
Cearah Parchment
Sophomore Forward, 6’3”
2025-26: 13.6 Pts, 8.4 Reb, 1.4 Ast
Wow, wow, wow, freshman Cece was a revelation. She had to adjust to conference play last January, but once she hit her stride, she had moments where she was absolutely unstoppable. Her year two potential is really, really tantalizing.
My question is how much she'll be playing as an undersized five again. I guess that will depend on Lety and Manuella...
Rotation Players
Maddie Webber
Senior Guard, 5’11”
2025-26: 10.8 Pts, 2.5 Reb, 1.4 Ast
She was such a great acquisition last year. I thought she would start, but she became the sparkplug off the bench with her blazing speed and sweet stroke. I believe she'll stick in that role again.
I suspect she'll make that second year leap that many transfers do (I hope for more consistency with her shooting)...and if we do indeed run a bit more this year, she's good for at least one fast break layup per game.
Lety Vasconcelos
Senior Center, 6’7”
2025-26: 3.5 Pts, 3.1 Reb, 0.4 Ast
Lety looked a bit like a newborn fawn last year on the court. She was coming off a severe knee injury and always felt a step slow. I'm hoping that her coordination and confidence has improved in the offseason. And we definitely need some rim protection from her once we face those bigs in the conference.
Also: if Lety can consistently make three footers, she may double her point output from last year.
Aaliyah Guyton
Junior Guard, 5’7”
2025-26: 6.3 Pts, 2.0 Reb, 2.0 Ast
Aaliyah probably wishes she had a do-over to last year. She struggled so much to stay healthy early in the year, and I think by the time she fully returned, her integration into the rotation just felt uneasy.
In year two with the Illini, I think she'll continue to be a serviceable backup to Destiny. But if her outside shooting can stay consistent, she may grab a few minutes at the two spot, as well.
Manuella Alves
Sophomore Forward, 6’3”
(no stats from last year: injured)
If I expect anyone to crack this already-full rotation, it's Manu. We definitely need another big body in the paint and I think she opens up some possibilities for the occasional two-big lineup.
She was much heralded coming out of high school (four star, ESPN #48), but she's coming off a very serious knee injury...like Lety last year, I think it will take some time until she's really comfortable on the floor. But the ceiling is really high long-term.
Wild Card
Divine Bourrage
Sophomore Guard, 5’11”
2025-26 (at LSU): 2.1 PTs, 1.7 Reb, 0.7 Ast
Long story short: Number 12 (ESPN) recruit out of Davenport, Destiny's good friend, big guard, never made an impact at LSU, headed back to the Midwest this year. And I don't think we have any idea what her role is this year. The potential is high, but I have questions.
In multiple interviews, Shauna has tamped down expectations for her, hinting that this is like a second freshman year for her. That usually doesn't bode well for a player trying to crack a rotation that almost seems set from the start. I mean, whose minutes does she take?
I might be overthinking this. Maybe she'll hit her stride in the early season and add a great punch to that second unit. But I have this suspicion that she won't be fully unlocked until next year.
Break in case of emergency
Irene Noya Catoira
Mia Zenere
Morgan Baptist
Ona Riopedra
Lana Brenjo (out for season)
We love these gals, but I wouldn't expect to see them on the floor during big games. Keep the energy up on the sidelines, ladies!
National Expectations
The AP voters put the Illini at #23 in the preseason poll...and a preseason ranking is not something we take for granted around here (only the second time since 1999). Bart Torvik tends to agree, as he has the Illini at #25 in his preseason metrics.
Now if only our conference was a touch easier...
The Schedule
The two portions of our schedule couldn't be more different. The non-conference is Frodo ambling through the Shire; the conference season is Frodo walking through Mordor.
Shauna said a top ten opponent backed out on them and we're left with no real marquee opponents before Big Ten play. But the conference is so perilous (six teams in the Tortvik top 15; twelve in the top 30) that we won't be hurting much in the Strength of Schedule rankings once all is said and done.
Cupcakes at home
(Detroit Mercy, Southern, SEMO, Ball State, Chicago State, Evansville, Western Illinois, Wright State, Old Dominion)
Like a hot knife through butter.
Prediction: 9-0
Slightly interesting non-con games
(Marquette and St. Joseph in the Bahamas, Mizzou at home)
All top 100 teams in Torvik...but we're better.
Prediction: 3-0
Conference Home Games
(Iowa, Washington, Purdue, Michigan State, Michigan, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Penn State)
Iowa, Michigan, Washington, Oregon are above us in Torvik, while Nebraska and Michigan State are just below us; we'll take four of the six in a rockin' SFC. We'll have a steep advantage vs. Purdue, Northwestern, and Penn State; three wins, methinks.
Prediction: 7-2
Conference Away Games
(Wisconsin, Rutgers, Ohio State, Northwestern, UCLA, USC, Maryland, Indiana, Minnesota)
USC, UCLA, Ohio State and Maryland will be gargantuan tasks; I think we'll drop all four. Rutgers, Northwestern, Indiana, Wisconsin, and Minnesota are all viable opportunities. If we get three, that will be pretty good.
Prediction: 3-6
Non-con record: 12-0
Conference record: 10-8
Overall: 22-8
Okay.
I did that tally, saw that overall record...and I felt underwhelmed. A tad disappointed even? To be clear, I expect zero bad losses and some marquee wins, and a 22-8 regular season is objectively good. In fact that record would be AMAZING by Illini historical standards (last time we had a record like that was 96-97).
But we want to make another jump, and the path to a Sweet 16 is still challenging if we're just a five or six seed.
I think we'll need to be about 13-5 in conference to snag a four seed. If that's going to happen, we'll need to have some questions answered:
Can we stay healthy?
This team has been snakebitten by injuries nearly every year of the Shauna Green era. Can the basketball gods give us ONE season with no key losses? If so, we'll have great depth and a variety of roster combinations to work with. If not, you'll see poor Berry Wallace playing too many minutes again.
Can we defend in the post?
Similar to the fellas, we're gonna score...but the other end is a bit of a question mark. The best defensive team Shauna has had was ranked #27 on Torvik (the 24-25 squad). Our perimeter defense the past few years has been fine, but the post D has not. I know that Shauna acquired Lety in the portal to finally have a deterrent in the paint. But she was injured one year, and pretty ineffective last year...and the top of the Big Ten absolutely dominated us in the post at times. Cece and Manuella will do their best, but they'll be at a height disadvantage during much of the conference slate. We HAVE to get this figured out.
What's the ceiling of this team?
I think this is the most talented squad in a looong time around here. But if we took this team to Storrs, for example, could they stay within 20 points of UCONN if we played our absolute best? I wrote last year that there's still a sizable gap between our roster and the blue blood rosters. We're bridging that gap, but you could see that discrepancy play out in the Big Ten tourney last year when Iowa absolutely obliterated our gals.
So, if all these talented ladies play to their utmost potential, can we pull off an upset at no. 3 USC? Or be within striking distance with a few minutes to go, at least? I'm not sure, but I can't wait to find out.
I'd like to thank Robert for letting me write about this team again this year. Buckle up for a great season, Illini fans!