Illinois basketball kicks off its season on Sunday with a preseason scrimmage against Illinois State. However, Andrej Stojakovic — former McDonald’s All-American and son of three-time NBA All-Star Peja Stojakovic — is unlikely to play. The talented sophomore is reportedly dealing with an injury, and it appears doubtful he’ll be cleared in time for the weekend.
Even so, Stojakovic is expected to be the Illini’s go-to scorer and closer this season — the player trusted to take the final shot, much like Kasparas Jakucionis filled that role a year ago. While the offense will still flow through Tomislav Ivisic, as it should, Stojakovic is projected to step into the primary scoring and leadership role for Illinois in 2025–26.
Andrej Stojakovic averaged 17.9 points per game last season at Cal, leading the team and finishing sixth in the conference in scoring. The 6-foot-7 wing from Carmichael, California, is widely expected to become Illinois’ top offensive option this season.
Stojakovic joins the Illini as a junior transfer, coming off a breakout sophomore year in Berkeley after beginning his college career at Stanford during the 2023–24 season. Now, the focus shifts to how Illinois will build around him — who’s likely to join him in the starting lineup, and which players will provide depth off the bench.
Make no mistake — Kylan Boswell and Tomislav Ivisic are locked into the lineup alongside Andrej Stojakovic. Brad Underwood isn’t taking any of those three out of the starting five.
That said, the Illinois team that takes the court on Sunday will look nothing like the projected starting group listed below. Even if the Illini’s top players were available, Underwood wouldn’t roll out his A-team for a preseason scrimmage.
He made that clear at Big Ten Media Day, emphasizing that preseason exhibitions are handled very differently from games that actually count on the schedule.
Projected 2025–26 Illinois Basketball Depth Chart
Point Guard (1): Mihailo Petrovic / Kylan Boswell / Ty Rodgers
Shooting Guard (2): Kylan Boswell / Ty Rodgers / Keaton Wagler / Brandon Lee
Small Forward (3): Andrej Stojakovic / Keaton Wagler / Jake Davis / Ben Humrichous
Power Forward (4): Ben Humrichous / David Mirkovic / Zvonimir Ivisic
Center (5): Tomislav Ivisic / Zvonimir Ivisic
There are also several incoming freshmen and end-of-the-bench players whose exact roles remain uncertain — including Jason Jakstys, Blake Fagbemi, and AJ Reed. Ty Rodgers, the team’s Swiss Army knife, can defend positions 1 through 4 and will undoubtedly see significant minutes somewhere in the rotation.
Jake Davis likely projects as the eighth or ninth man, while Ben Humrichous was a somewhat surprising late addition as Tomislav Ivisic’s replacement at Media Day. Given his NCAA waiver situation, there were questions about whether he would even return this season.
There’s no denying his first season in Champaign was a tough one, but Coach Underwood clearly still has faith in him.
His selection to represent the team at Media Day speaks volumes about the role he’s expected to play this year. While he doesn’t entirely align with the broader identity of this roster — “Illinois Basketball: The Adriatic Sea’s/Zagreb’s/Sarajevo’s Big Ten Team” — his inclusion shows the staff’s continued confidence in his potential.
Mihailo Petrovic’s eligibility status remains uncertain, but it’s clear he’ll play a major role in shaping this Illinois basketball team. Petrovic’s impact as the primary ball handler and offensive facilitator could be a true game-changer — and well worth the investment.
While Kylan Boswell is fully capable of running the point, he’s far more effective when he can play off the ball and focus on creating scoring opportunities.
Overall, seeing this Illinois basketball team ranked #17 in the preseason AP poll seems fair and accurate
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