We are now through the second exhibition game for the Illinois basketball program, and there are some interesting things going on with the team.
Illinois has an embarrassment of riches when it comes to scoring. We can shoot from anywhere on the court, and this might be the most high-powered Illini offense I have ever seen.
Defense could be an issue, though. I saw some things on Friday night that could be true and could end up fooling us once the season starts.
Here are the truths and lies from the Illinois basketball loss to Baylor
Truth: Illinois is efficient from the free throw line again
Illinois was one of the best free throw shooting teams in the country last season. We hit 78.0% of our shots from the charity stripe, which ranked No. 17 in the country.
Despite multiple departures, that number seems to be staying consistent. Illinois shot 79.2% from the free throw line against Cincinnati. We followed that up with a showing on Friday night against Baylor of 77.8%.
With so many freshmen and newcomers to the squad, I will take that solid free throw shooting. I think this is a real number.
Lie: Inability to rebound by Illinois
I touched on the Illinois rebounding in the five observations article, but at the end of the day, I don’t think the numbers we saw against Baylor are true. I think they are a lie.
Illinois was outrebounded 47-38 against the Bears. This margin was mainly in the first half, when we looked pretty bad and Baylor was clicking. The Bears outrebounded Illinois by 10 rebounds in the first half, and we got them by one rebound in the second half.
Brad Underwood isn’t going to allow Illinois to be a bad rebounding squad. On top of that, we were missing our best rebounder from last season, David Mirkovic. Illinois should be fine when the dust settles.
Truth: Baylor exposed Illinois’ bad perimeter defense
While rebounding issues might end up being nothing, I think there is real concern about Illinois’ perimeter defense.
In the second half, Baylor was 0-for-7 from three-point range, which is crazy. They finished 11-for-25 as a team. Illinois also gave up 36.4% from three-point range against Cincinnati in the first exhibition game.
Stefan Vaaks isn’t a good defender, and he will play on the perimeter. Illinois has a lot of freshmen who play on the perimeter as well. This could be bad for the program when it comes to perimeter defense this season.
Lie: Andre Stojakovic horrendous showing
Sometimes rust takes a little bit to shake off. I think that is the case when it comes to Andrej Stojakovic.
This season is huge for Stojakovic. He has a chance to raise his draft stock, but his 4-for-13 showing from the field against Baylor won’t help his case.
With that being said, we have a large enough sample size from Stojakovic to know that this isn’t him. He was smart to only take three three-point attempts, but he just couldn’t get anything going around the rim. Stojakovic is going to be a big part of this team, and he will be much more efficient during the season.
Truth: This is Tomislav Ivisic now
Two seasons ago, Tomislav Ivisic was a big man who could shoot from three-point range. He hit 35.7% from deep on 4.8 attempts per game.
Last season, Ivisic laid an egg. He got bigger and was more physical, but when he tried to reach back for his shot, it wasn’t there. Shooting 31.3% from three-point range on 4.7 attempts per game is not what Illinois needs.
Ivisic was 3-for-4 from three-point range against Cincinnati. That gave me hope. On Friday night, he was 0-for-5 from three-point range and 0-for-6 from the field. At this point, I have to believe that this is the real Ivisic. The old, good-shooting Ivisic is gone.
Lie: Illinois starting rotation
Baylor was faced with an Illinois starting lineup of Quentin Coleman, Jake Davis, Stojakovic, Ethan Brown, and Ivisic.
When I see that starting lineup, I immediately think there is no way Underwood goes with these five as the starting lineup to begin the 2026-27 campaign. Or, at least, this won’t be the starting lineup in the first true test against Texas Tech.
Obviously, when Mirkovic is healthy, he will start. He takes the place of Brown. I am still having a hard time believing that Vaaks would come to Illinois without a starting job. If I had to bet, I would still go with a starting lineup of Coleman, Vaaks, Stojakovic, Mirkovic, and Ivisic. Only time will tell.
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