Andrej Stojakovic Update: Illinois get hopeful prediction from ESPN insider

As of this writing, there are less than 10 days until Illinois star Andrej Stojakovic will have to make his final decision. That's right, come May 27 at 11:59 p.m. ET, the deadline will arrive for the sharpshooter to either stay in the draft for good, or give Brad Underwood the news that so many people are holding out hope for.

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With that said, plenty of signs continue to point in a promising direction, including ESPN's Jeff Borzello predicting for Stojakovic to indeed return for one more season with the Big Ten powerhouse. Borzello's thoughts below sure seem pretty dang definitive, though nothing has been set in stone here just yet. Keep in mind that Stojakovic is listed under Borzello's 'Trending toward returning to college' section:

"Stojakovic was one of the last players to declare for the NBA draft, though the expectation when he announced was that he would likely return to Champaign," Borzello wrote in his latest ESPN piece. "That remains the case, even though he didn't participate in the 5-on-5 scrimmages at the combine. If he does go back to play for Brad Underwood, Illinois will be right back in the national discussion as a Final Four team. ESPN's most recent Way-Too-Early Top 25 had the Illini ranked at No. 4, with Stojakovic combining with Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks and returnee David Mirkovic to cause matchup nightmares all over the floor."

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Obviously, a lot can change here leading up to deadline day, but once again, there seems to be increased optimism that Stojakovic will suit up for Underwood in 2026-27. From our chair too, this seems like a pretty easy decision.

The majority of NBA Mock Drafts continue to have him pegged as a second-round pick. Is there a chance he could sneak into the first round? Possibly, but the odds aren't in his favor there. So, if that second-round grade remains consistent, why wouldn't he return to school to boost his stock and help Illinois push for a national title at the same time?

With the way college sports works these days too, Stojakovic could come back on a handsome NIL deal too, which is only going to make delaying his NBA career more enticing for him. Soon enough, we'll find out what Stojakovic decides, but if he does make Underwood happy soon, the buzz for this team to make a return trip to the Final Four next April is only going to grow.

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