Basketball
Basketball The Illini will return about 50% of its production from last season, solidifying them as one of the top teams in the country entering the 2026-27 season
Most of Illinois basketball’s Final Four core is returning. Following sophomore forward David Mirkovic‘s mid-day return announcement, Illinois officially announced on Wednesday night that center Tomislav Ivisic, center Zvonimir Ivisic and forward Jake Davis are all returning to the Illini for the 2026-27 season. Draft Express’ Jonathan Givony first reported the news.
- Tomislav Ivisic returns for a third year at Illinois. His numbers went down last season with more talent around him, including Mirkovic, but the 7-foot, 255-pound stretch center (10.4 points, 5.6 rebounds) is incredibly important to the Illini’s five-out offense and is a presence at the rim on defender.
- Zvonimir Ivisic, Tomislav’s twin brother, gives the Illini one of the best center rotations in the country. While Tomislav is stouter on the block, Zvonimir (6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 1.9 blocks) is more athletic and one of the best shot blockers in the country (fourth in block rate, 12.9%).
- Davis returns for his third season with Illinois after transferring from Mercer following his freshman season. Davis started 21 of 36 games for Illinois last season and was a starter throughout the Illini’s run to the Final Four, averaging 5.4 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 40.6% from three (54-for-133).
Why it matters: Those four returners alone represent 41.7% of the Illini’s scoring, 48.5% of the Illini’s rebounds and 44.3% of the Illini’s minutes last season.
What it means: Retention was the No. 1 goal for the Illini and was more important than any potential additions. But with most of the Final Four core returning, the Illini will once again have one of the best frontcourts in college basketball with two senior centers with NBA potential (the Ivisic twins) and a potential All-American candidate forward (Mirkovic) who can take another step forward. Davis doesn’t get many headlines or create many highlights, but he is a connective piece who draws a lot of gravity on offense because of his sharpshooting and does a lot of little things that aid winning.
The Illini, who went 28-9 last season and advanced to the Final Four, also have added four-star Providence transfer guard Stefan Vaaks and top-35 Class of 2026 guard Quentin Coleman, who will help the Illini replace All-American guard Keaton Wagler (17.9 points, 4.2 assists), who declared for the NBA Draft during the weekend, and outgoing senior guard Kylan Boswell (12.3 points, 3.0 assists). Now, the Illini are looking to solidify themselves as one of the top title contenders next season with their pursuit of Wisconsin transfer guard John Blackwell. This already looks like a no-doubt top-10 roster with the chance to get even better.
What’s next: All eyes are on rising senior Andrej Stojakovic, who averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds and was a star during the Illini’s NCAA Tournament run, scoring 21 points in a Round of 32 win over VCU and 17 points in an Elite Eight win over Iowa.
Read More Tami Howe