When it comes to the transfer portal, Illinois basketball seems to be holding its own.
The transfer portal can scare some teams. It is a place where athletes can enter and find a new home if the current situation isn’t working out for them. It is also a chance for an athlete to make a nice wage while also playing the sport they love.
While college basketball has always been a business, the things that used to happen more in the shadows are now having light shined on them. Thankfully, the Illini have the resources to keep up with some big-time programs in the game today.
Brad Underwood didn’t have to do a ton in the transfer portal this offseason. Illinois had some key returning players who will be great building blocks for what should be at least a second weekend team in the NCAA tournament in 2026.
Illinois managed to pull in a total of six new players, two of those being from the transfer portal. Andrej Stojakovic and Zvonimir Ivisic are the two lone transfer portal additions. While having just two transfer portal players incoming doesn’t sound like a big punch, the quality of these two players is one of the highest in the nation.
According to college basketball analyst Evan Miyakawa of EvanMiya.com, Illinois has an incoming transfer rating of 3.73. This is fourth in the country, only behind Michigan (5.48), UConn (4.31), and Louisville (4.29).
Here are the teams this offseason that are bringing in the highest quality transfers on average, per https://t.co/cegyfz8ykZ.
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) May 9, 2025
Getting quality in the transfer portal matters just as much as quantity. pic.twitter.com/PfxkpvZ1c8
What does this mean? Well, the higher the number, the better. Illinois is fourth in the country, so that is good. The number itself is a calculation of the, “transfer quality measured by each player’s projected BPR (Bayesian Performance Rating) for next season, which quantifies overall player value.”
What makes the two Illinois basketball transfer portal additions have so much quality
It is exciting to see Illinois have some of the highest-quality transfer portal additions of the offseason. Stojakovic and Ivisic fit in perfectly with the Illini, too. But what makes these two have so much quality?
Let’s start with Ivisic. He is coming off a sophomore campaign where he averaged 8.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He also shot 37.6% from three-point range. Offensively, Ivisic has been solid, but it is his defense that sets him apart.
Ivisic averaged 1.9 blocks in just 19.1 minutes per game for Arkansas. He is a defensive stopper, and according to Evanmiya.com, he had a defensive BPR of 2.70, which was the highest on the Razorbacks roster. Illinois is getting someone who can lock down on defense, shoot from three-point range, and he is over 7-foot tall.
The Illini also added Stojakovic to the mix. Beyond the last name and the NBA blood, Illinois is getting someone who is a balanced player on the floor.
Stojakovic averaged 17.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.2 blocks per game with Cal last season. If he starts to knock down his three-pointers more consistently, Stojakovic could be one of the best players in college basketball.
Evanmiya.com rates him pretty well on both ends of the court. Stojakovic has an offensive BPR of 1.61, which was fourth on Cal’s roster last season, and he had a .52 defensive BPR, which was third on the team. His overall BPR of 2.13 was third on the team as well.
Illinois didn’t have to go and rebuild the entire roster like a couple of seasons ago. Underwood had the foundation already in place, and he built around them. The quality of talent was more important than the quantity, and Underwood nailed that this offseason.