CBB Rank 2025: No. 15, Illinois Basketball

Brad Underwood has become a master of recruiting internationally, and the latest version of Illinois basketball could compete for a FIBA Championship.

The tradition continues! It’s another year of our countdown of the top 100 preseason teams in college basketball until the start of the season. Each day, we will reveal the next team until we reach the team slotted at number one. Up next: Illinois basketball.

If you’re not a fan of college basketball coaches bringing in players with overseas experience, look away. Illinois will roster a few of them this season, with Mihailo Petrovic just clearing NCAA waivers on Monday, and David Mirkovic figuring to be a key starter or depth piece. Petrovic could share the starting backcourt with Kylan Boswell, while Mirkovic played 30 minutes in Illinois’ first exhibition, starting in place of Andrej Stojakovic, who could miss a few games as he recovers from a knee injury.

But when this Illinois basketball team is at full health and with everyone cleared to play, they may wind up being the favorites out of the Big Ten.

Petrovic may be a newbie to college basketball, but he averaged 14.2 points and 7.3 assists for KK Mega Basket during the 2024-25 season in the top league in Serbia. He’s quite literally a professional, and with a college vet in Kylan Boswell, Illinois, will have no trouble sharing the basketball this season.

At forward, Andrej Stojakovic will look to score the basketball, and is easily the go-to option in crunch time for this Fighting Illini squad. Now on his third team in three years, he’s hoping Illinois can propel him to an NBA future.

Rounding out the starting five are Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic, who both played big roles on last year’s team. So even with a lot of new international talent, three of the five starters from a year ago will likely start again this year for the Illini.

That’s where the bench comes into play. Ivisic’s brother, Zvonimir, comes to town after spending a year at Kentucky and a year at Arkansas, following John Calipari around for his first two collegiate seasons. Tomislav may be a slightly better offensive talent, but Zvonimir is even more commanding in the paint, averaging nearly two blocks per game in 19.1 minutes per game last year. Trading brother for brother will be a cool story for Illinois, but a problem for anyone looking to drive the paint on them this year.

David Mirkovic, another international recruit, should also get huge minutes and may even start. He started in the exhibition against Illinois State, and posted team highs with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists. Exhibitions may not mean much, but to me, that means Brad Underwood may have some decisions to make with his starting lineup. At the very least, he’s got no depth issues in the frontcourt, and may have the best group of big men in the country.

Finally, Jake Davis and Keaton Wagler should also play rotation minutes on the wing. Davis played 21 minutes off the bench in the exhibition, and Wagler started, but with the Petrovic news, it’s hard to see a recruit outside the top 200 lasting in the starting five for much longer. But clearly, Underwood trusts him enough to play some time.

Finally, there is Ty Rodgers, who hasn’t played since the 2023-24 season and still may be out some time. But he started all 38 games for Illinois two years ago, so when healthy, either will mess with the lineup or give Illinois another crucial rotation piece.

This is an Illinois team to take seriously, and if you’re picking a shortlist of teams to make the Final Four here in late October, seriously consider the Fighting Illini.

Head coach: Brad Underwood (9th season at Illinois, 13th season overall)

2024-25 record: 22-13 (12-8)

2025 postseason finish: Lost to Kentucky (84-75) in second round of NCAA Tournament

Notable departures: 

• Kasparas Jakucionis (15.0 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 4.7 APG)
• Will Riley (12.6 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.2 APG)
• Tre White (10.5 PPG, 5.5 RPG, 0.8 APG, 50.7 FG%)
• Morez Johnson (7.0 PPG, 6.7 RPG, 0.3 APG, 1.1 BPG, 64.2 FG%)
• Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (5.9 PPG, 1.6 RPG, 0.5 APG)

Notable non-conference games: 

• vs. Texas Tech (Nov. 11)
• vs. Alabama (Nov. 19) – Chicago, IL
• at UConn (Nov. 28) – Madison Square Garden
• at Tennessee (Dec. 6) – Nashville, TN
• at Missouri (Dec. 22) – Saint Louis, MO

Projected Rotation

PG: Mihailo Petrovic (6-2, 180, So.)

International recruit from Serbia

SG: Kylan Boswell (6-2, 215, Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 12.3 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 3.4 APG, 1.1 SPG

SF: Andrej Stojakovic (6-7, 215, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 17.9 PPG, 4.7 RPG, 1.8 APG, 1.2 BPG (Cal)

PF: Ben Humrichous (6-9, 235, Gr.-Sr.)

2024-25 stats: 7.6 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 0.9 APG, 37.5 FG%, 34.3 3P%

C: Tomislav Ivisic (7-1, 255, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 13.0 PPG, 7.7 RPG, 2.3 APG, 1.2 BPG, 35.7 3P%

6: Zvonimir Ivisic (7-2, 250, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 8.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.9 BPG, 37.6 3P% (Arkansas)

7: David Mirkovic (6-9, 250, Fr.)

International recruit from Montenegro

8: Jake Davis (6-6, 215, Jr.)

2024-25 stats: 3.0 PPG, 1.4 RPG, 0.3 APG, 9.4 MPG

9: Keaton Wagler (6-6, 185, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #260-ranked recruit

10: Brandon Lee (6-4, 195, Fr.)

247Sports Composite #123-ranked recruit

11: Jason Jakstys (6-10, 225, Rs.-Fr.)

247Sports Composite #197-ranked recruit (2024)

12: Ty Rodgers (6-6, 210, Rs.-Jr.)

2023-24 stats: 6.2 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 2.0 APG, 52.7 FG%, 38 GS

*Redshirted 2024-25 season

Illinois basketball team MVP: Andrej Stojakovic

There are a lot of MVP-type pieces at different positions on this Illinois team, but Andrej Stojakovic is the player who will get the most media hype, simply because he’s the top scorer.

While his father, Peja, is one of the best three-point threats in NBA history, Andrej is a bit more of an all-around bucket getter. He can certainly hit from deep, but he’s much better as a slasher, driving to the lane and using his 6-foot-7, 215-pound frame to overpower defenders heading to the rim.

He’s not the flashiest – but he’s crafty and knows how to free himself to get open without the ball. And with the best combination of teammates and coaching he’s been around after playing at Stanford and Cal, his efficiency will be a fun thing to monitor. It could be a monster junior season ahead.

Illinois basketball make-or-break player: Ben Humrichous

How will Humrichous, who worked his way up from outside of DI, to Evansville, to Illinois, play with such an influx of talent? I’d argue this year’s Illinois team is deeper and more talented overall than last year’s – with no disrespect to Kasparas Jakucionis or Will Riley.

So for Humrichous, with so many additions of frontcourt talent, it’ll be important not to get lost, and still be a reliable asset from three-point range. Last year he was that, but at Evansville, he was lights out, shooting above 40% from distance. If Illinois can get that Ben Humrichous, it’s even more of a game-changer.

Key analytic: Rebounds per game

Illinois controlled the glass better than any team in college basketball last season, leading the country with 42.6 rebounds per game. They were 32nd in ORPG and 2nd in DPRG, making it difficult for anyone to try and control the glass in a game against the Illini.

This season, it’s an even better and bigger frontcourt, so it could be a historic season on the glass for Illinois. Between the Ivisic bros, Mirkovic, Humrichous, Stojakovic, and Boswell, who is a good rebounder for a guard, they may lead the country in boards again. And if and when Rodgers comes back, that’s just one more rebounder to add to the mix.

Illinois basketball 2025-26 projections

Projected conference finish: 4th in the Big Ten

Projected postseason ceiling: National Champions