Off a second-round NCAA Tournament season, Illinois and Brad Underwood have had something of a hard reset. Illinois’s top two players are likely NBA Draft selections. A couple of significant returnees have entered the portal, and Illinois has had to fix the roster on the fly.
But Illinois has a solid core and could actually be better than a year ago after a portal haul that has been long on talent but short on numbers. Here’s five takeaways from the portal period for 2025-26.
Top 5 portal takeaways for Illinois heading into 2025-26
5. The focus was on quality, but quantity
At this point, Illinois only added two players via the portal. Five players left, a few of whom were significant. Many coaches might have panicked in replacing Tre White and Morez Johnson Jr. But Underwood stuck to his guns. Both signees, Andrej Stojakvoic and Zvonimir Ivisic, are potential stars and NBA draft picks. The numbers might be small, but the quality is undoutable.
4. The class probably isn’t done
That said, it’s fair to expect that Underwood might still add another player or two. Graduate transfers can move along even outside of the portal and there are a few guys who are testing the NBA waters who might end up with Illinois. It’s entirely likely that Illinois will have another player or even two in the class when all is said and done. But as noted above, it’ll be quality additions, not raw numbers.
3. One of the most interesting brother duos will be at Illinois
Few sets of players will bear watching more than the Ivisic brothers. Tomislav averaged 13.0 points and 7.7 boards as a freshman at Illinois. Brother Zvonimir comes from Kentucky and Arkansas, and at 7-foot-2, is an inch taller than his “little” brother.
Both guys are massive, talented, and even capable of stepping outside and drilling 3-pointers. Two brothers on the same team is interesting. Two potential NBA picks over 7-feet tall with similarly diverse games could be unforgettable.
2. Underwood’s portal and high school mixing is a bit unusual
One thing worth watching is exactly how Underwood contructs his roster. He’s combining high school/international recruiting with portal additions in a way that many coaches aren’t. Duke is working the high school world. Kentucky is mostly rolling in the portal. Illinois seems to be pursuing a dual strategy that will be worth watching.
1.Underwood is going international in a big way
So obviously, both portal players are international signees. Underwood then added another pair of international players as late signees with Serbian recruits David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic. This comes off a year where Kasparas Jakucionis was the best player on the Illinois team. Underwood is clearly doubling down on the international ranks for his roster.
What do you think of Illinois’s portal situation? Share your take below in our comments section!
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Edited by Joe Cox
