Tomislav Ivisic didn’t arrive at Illinois as a mystery. He came in for the 2024-25 season and immediately looked like one of the Big Ten’s best big men, the kind of frontcourt piece who made everything around him easier.
With Kasparas Jakucionis running the show, the pairing worked almost perfectly. Ivisic was the screener in a heavy diet of ball-screen action, and he had answers no matter how defenses played it.
He could roll, pop, or - when Jakucionis wasn’t on the floor - become the offense himself. Illinois could dump the ball into him on the block or around the mid-post and let him operate, trusting both his back-to-the-basket skill and his passing touch to create for himself or a teammate.
That first college season backed up the eye test. Ivisic averaged 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks while shooting 49.2/35.7/75.0. Coming into 2025-26, plenty of people projected him as the Big Ten’s top frontcourt player.
It didn’t quite go that way. The fit changed, and Ivisic’s role changed with it.
Freshman standout David Mirkovic took over the bulk of the screening responsibilities and also became Illinois’ preferred option on the interior. That pushed Ivisic toward more of a spot-up role than the one that had made him so effective the year before, and the ripple effect showed up on both ends.
His defense and rebounding seemed to dip when his offensive involvement dipped.
Now the question is whether Illinois can get back to the version of Ivisic that made the Illini so dangerous in the first place.
“He had a great, great summer,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said. “He and Mirk were in here every single morning together working.
I’ve seen a tremendous commitment in his work ethic. He’s 270 pounds.
He’s big and strong. And he is - the most important thing is, not just me seeing it but the NBA people are coming in - moving.
He’s moving so much better. He’s not just what I call a plodder.
He’s moving. He’s cutting.
“He’s worked very, very hard on his face-up game, his ability to drive. So, much better player.
Now, hopefully with a little good luck, stays extremely healthy. Can be the guy that we saw at the end of last year, which was a dominant player.”
The 270-pound number jumps out because it is 15 more than Ivisic was listed at in 2025-26. That’s a lot of size for a player who was already throwing his weight around offensively and serving as a wall in post defense.
The real issue, though, is whether that added bulk comes with better movement. If it does, Illinois may have a different kind of problem on its hands - the good kind. A heavier Ivisic who is also more mobile would be a nightmare to deal with, especially if his improved agility helps clean up the pick-and-roll defense that was sometimes a concern.
Offensively, the menu is already loaded. Ivisic can shoot, pass and score on the block. If the face-up work has taken another step and he can attack closeouts, he becomes even tougher to guard.
The challenge now is making sure he gets enough chances to use all of it. That part falls to Underwood and his staff, and with all the talent on this Illinois roster, that’s going to take some juggling.
In Other News...
Illinois Suddenly Has A Chance At A Historic 2028 Class
Rivals latest update to its 2028 basketball rankings gave Illinois recruiting momentum a noticeable boost, with three Fighting Illini targets landing among the top 10 nationally. Brady Pettigrew, Dylan Betts and Benjamin Berrouet all checked in near the top of the class, and each has already taken or is scheduled to take an official visit to Champaign, giving Illinois an early foothold in what could become a defining cycle.
The most intriguing part for Illinois is how well positioned it appears with all three. The program is currently favored to sign Pettigrew and Berrouet, while Betts is also very much in the mix, leaving the Illini with a real chance to build around an elite trio before the class even fully takes shape. For a school that has been trying to sustain national relevance on the recruiting trail, this is the kind of early alignment that can change the ceiling of an entire class. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Underwood Just Gave Illinois Fans More Reason To Believe In Quentin Coleman
Illinois fans already had plenty of reason to circle Quentin Coleman as the headliner of the 2026 class, but Brad Underwood offered another reminder at media day that the buzz is not just about recruiting rank. The Illinois coach pointed to Colemans competitiveness, his shooting and rebounding, and the way his game has started to mature in areas that often separate a promising prospect from a true impact player.
For Illinois, the encouraging part is that Coleman is not being framed as a long-term project. Underwoods praise suggested a freshman season with real expectations attached, even if some parts of his game will still need to be tested in live action. The next step will be seeing how all of that translates once the speed, physicality and decision-making demands of college basketball start coming at him for real. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Just Got A Big Ten Label Fans Will Want To Debate
The Big Tens preseason buzz around Illinois kept building this week when the league unveiled its 11-man All-Big Ten preseason team, and David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic both made the cut. It was another sign that the Illini are very much part of the conversation entering the season, with their roster drawing attention from around the conference before a game has even been played.
The Columbus Dispatch took the discussion a step further with its unofficial preseason poll, placing Illinois No. 1 ahead of Michigan State and Michigan. The paper also handed out its own preseason awards framework, where Quentin Coleman drew votes for Freshman of the Year and Stefan Vaaks received votes for Transfer of the Year, giving Illinois fans plenty to debate about just how high this group can climb. [Read more 🡒]