Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2025-26 season.
Previously: Rutgers, Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Washington, Oregon, Nebraska, Maryland, Iowa, Wisconsin, USC, Ohio State, Michigan State
Today: Illinois (22-13 overall in 2024-25, 12-8 in Big Ten play)
Illinois was one of the streakiest teams in the country last year – it won multiple Big Ten games by 30-plus points and lost to Duke on a neutral site by 43 points. Still, the Illini relatively overachieved, primarily thanks to a late offseason addition and freshman phenom Kasparas Jakucionis. Brad Underwood now gears up for year nine in Champaign, fresh off a contract extension through the 2030-31 season.
Illinois’ roster movement
Players returning with eligibility: Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic, Ty Rodgers, Ben Humrichous, Jake Davis, Jason Jakstys
Players departing via exhausted eligibility: none
Players departing for the NBA draft: Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley
Players departing via transfer portal: Tre White (to Kansas), Morez Johnson (to Michigan), Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (to UNLV), Carey Booth (to Colorado State)
Players arriving via transfer portal: Andrej Stojakovic (from Cal), Zvonimir Ivisic (from Arkansas)
Players arriving from high school/overseas: Brandon Lee, Keaton Wagler, Mihailo Petrovic, David Mirkovic
Best wishes in advance to all broadcasters on the call for Illinois next year. The Illini lose a lot of production but will also return a strong faction to join the incoming “Balkan Boys.” Some of the losses were unexpected – Riley seemed on the fence for the NBA until late season and Johnson was expected to be a key piece this upcoming season. However, Illinois’ small portal class is strong, as both transfers are inside the 247Sports top 50. Boswell, Ivisic and Humrichous highlight the returning pieces. Both Petrovic and Mirkovic are highly-rated international prospects who should make immediate impacts.
What to like about Illinois
The size of this Illinois roster is staggering. Tomislav Ivisic stands at 7-foot-1 and his incoming brother, Zvonimir, is listed as 7-foot-2. Mirkovic and Humrichous, both at 6-foot-9, will provide frontcourt depth as well. Rebounding and interior defense will be major strengths for this team.
The Fighting Illini will have a lot of offensive firepower. The Ivisic brothers, Stojakovic, Humrichous and Jake Davis are all formidable perimeter shooters. Petrovic is a high-level passer with elite vision, something he’s shown in the European Adriatic League. Every player on the floor will be capable of scoring and will keep things balanced.
Illinois is a very experienced roster. Aside from the obvious returnees with Big Ten experience, Stojakovic (Pac-12/ACC) and Z. Ivisic (SEC) both come in with multiple years of high-major experience. Even the overseas pair of incoming freshmen have plenty of professional experience in Europe. The Big Ten is its entirely own world to acclimate to, but this team has plenty of guys who know how to play on the big stage.
What to question with Illinois
Can the newcomers make the impact they’re expected to? There’s a lot of lost production to make up for which places weighty expectations on the new guys. Petrovic is essentially sliding into Jakucionis’ role, which paced the Illini’s entire offense last year. Petrovic, Stojakovic and Z. Ivisic all need to live up to expectations for Illinois to compete for a Big Ten title.
Can Underwood and his team finally find some consistency? Last year wasn’t a random outlier, the Illini suffer streaky tendencies often. Not maintaining a level consistency makes a Big Ten season a lot longer than it can be and for a team with high expectations that can’t happen.
Illinois’ outlook for the 2025-26 season
Home: Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Rutgers, Washington, Wisconsin
Away: Iowa, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, USC
Home/Away: Maryland, Nebraska, Northwestern
Illinois currently projects to finish fourth in the Big Ten and in the top-10 nationally in Bart Torvik’s preseason metrics. ESPN’s Joe Lunardi forecasts the Illini as a No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament.
This team is legit. Illinois can easily have one of the best offenses in the country and possesses so many different weapons and skillsets. The Illini will be Big Ten title contenders and one of the more challenging teams to face in the country.
Category: Commentary
Filed to: 2025-26 Big Ten preview, Illinois Fighting Illini
