Last night, the No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini absolutely walloped the Oregon Ducks, securing an 80-54 victory and righting a ship that had been sinking slightly.
In the big-time Big Ten take down, one Illini transfer addition finally saw the numbers that people had been expecting out of him all season long: Andrej Stojakovic.
Stojakovic was a four-star transfer prospect who joined the Fighting Illini after two years in California (one with the Stanford Cardinal and one with the Cal Golden Bears). Last night, he had the breakthrough performance that everybody had been waiting for.
Andrej Stojakovic put on a clinic vs. Oregon
Coming off the bench and clocking in for 21 minutes, Stojakovic earned a resounding 21 points, 12 rebounds, two assists, and one steal, leading Illinois in scoring and rebounding.
As the higher-rated transfer player of the two that Illinois head coach Brad Underwood added during the offseason, these were the numbers everyone had expected out of Stojakovic this season, joining the Illini alongside four-star center Zvonimir Ivisic from Arkansas.
What better time for Stojakovic to peak than just one game away from the postseason? Especially one where Illinois is primed to make a run through the Big Ten Tournament and the Big Dance after that.
Andrej Stojakovic off the bench against Oregon:
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) March 4, 2026
21 PTS | 7-12 FG | 12 REB | 21 MINS pic.twitter.com/6MauBuAXyx
Before beating the Ducks, Illinois had gone on a two-game losing streak, falling to an unranked UCLA squad and the No. 3 Michigan Wolverines. Behind Stojakovic's 21-point performance, the Fighting Illini got things back on track.
Closing out the regular season with a road trip to Maryland, where Illinois will face the unranked and struggling Terrapins, the Fighting Illini are currently ranked third in the Big Ten standings, giving them byes through the first three rounds.
Things are looking more than okay in Champaign after fans started questioning if things were going completely awry for Underwood and his squad. Now, it's time for real March basketball.
On Sunday, March 8, the No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini and the unranked Maryland Terrapins are scheduled to tip off at 2 p.m. CT, and the teams' final regular-season game will be broadcast on FOX.