3. The Illini are still missing key players
Illinois was impressive on Monday night against Jackson State. When you put up 113 points against any DI program, that is a great feat.
I mentioned Illinois being a talented three-point shooting team and how good the additions have been thus far. Well, don’t forget, the Illini were missing a ton of players against Jackson State.
Jake Davis and Keaton Wagler, both starters on Monday night, will most likely be the second rotation for the Illini. They played extremely well, and that will be what Illinois has coming off the bench, along with Ben Humrichous and Zvonimir Ivisic.
Illinois didn’t have our talented point guard, Mihailo Petrovic, last night. He averaged over seven assists per game overseas last season. Andrej Stojakovic was another big piece that was missing. He was the prized transfer portal addition who averaged 17.9 points with Cal in 2024-25.
Those two players will be starting for Illinois once healthy. We also had a nice depth piece in Brandon Lee out with an injury. He will be a main player in the second rotation, too.
Illinois put up 113 points and beat another DI program by 58 points on Monday night. That was without three big players on the roster who were out with injury. This team could be pretty special.