No. 17 Illinois has an
international flavor, but its leader is a hometown point guard
[October 29, 2025]
Illinois coach Brad Underwood made news in the off-season by
bringing in highly touted players from overseas, but it mostly
likely will be the returnees who will determine if the No. 17 Illini
have a successful season. Point guard Kylan Boswell from Champaign
and Tomislav Ivisic are back, along with Jake Davis and Ben
Humrichous, sharpshooters who have been given bigger roles this
season. The four accumulated 45% of the Illini’s minutes, 41% of the
team’s points and 43% of its rebounds last year. Their experience is
needed to help the new Illinois players get acclimated to
Underwood’s tough love approach to coaching.
Story
Illinois (22-13, 12-8 Big Ten)
Coach Brad Underwood made news by bringing in highly touted players
from overseas, but most likely it will be the returnees who will
determine if the No. 17 Illini have another successful season. Point
guard Kylan Boswell from Champaign and Tomislav Ivisic are back,
along with sharpshooters Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous, who have
been given bigger roles this season. The four accumulated 45% of the
Illini’s minutes, 41% of the team’s points and 43% of its rebounds
last year. Their experience is needed to help the new Illinois
players get acclimated to Underwood’s systems and his tough love
approach to coaching.
Players to watch
Boswell, who is one of the Big Ten's best on-ball defenders, came on
strong at the end of last season, averaging nearly 17 points per
game over the Illini’s final eight games.
Ivisic had an illness-plagued season last year, but still managed to
average 13 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. The 7-1 Ivisic and his
twin brother, 7-2 Zvonimir Ivisic, who are from Croatia, are
dangerous outside shooters for big men.
[to top of second column] |
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood yells instructions to his
players during the first half in the second round of the NCAA
college basketball tournament against Kentucky, Sunday, March 23,
2025, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Kayla Wolf, File)
Departures and arrivals
Illinois will miss one-and-done players Kasparas Jakucionis (15.0
ppg, 156 assists) and Will Riley (12.6 ppg), who were NBA draft
picks. Also gone are Tre White (10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Morez Johnson
Jr. (6.7 rpg), who transferred to Michigan. The transfer portal
brought the Illini two stars from other conferences: Zvonimir Ivisic
from Arkansas and Andrej Stojakovic from California, who averaged
nearly 18 points per game last season. Freshman recruits Brandon
Lee, a 2,000-point scorer out of New Jersey, and Keaton Wagler, the
Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas, will vie for playing time.
Mihailo Petrovic (Serbia) and David Mirkovic (Montenegro) add to the
international flavor.
Top games
The Illini will open Monday at home against Jackson State. Seven
ranked teams are on their schedule, including three in less than
three weeks on neutral courts: No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 19 at the
United Center in Chicago; No. 4 UConn on Nov. 28 at Madison Square
Garden; and No. 18 Tennessee on Dec. 6 in Nashville. Illinois’ lone
Big Ten game against No. 1 Purdue is on the road Jan. 24.
Facts and figures
Illinois is one of only four teams in the nation with six straight
20-win regular seasons and the only team with a winning Big Ten
record in each of those seasons. ... The Illini are one of 13 teams
to play in the last five NCAA Tournaments.
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