This offseason, it once again feels like Brad Underwood can't miss.
Between convincing current players to return for at least one more season with the Fighting Illini and bringing in elite pickups from the transfer portal, Underwood and Illinois have been on a roll.
With the latest announcement from the team, Andrej Stojakovic shared his plan to return for another year, and the Illinois starting lineup for next season is starting to look as dominant as ever.
Illinois men's basketball 2026-27 projected starting lineup
- Guard: Stefan Vaaks, backup: Lucas Morillo
- Guard: Andrej Stojakovic, backup: Quentin Coleman
- Forward: David Mirkovic, backup: Ty Rodgers
- Forward: Jake Davis, backup: Landon Davis
- Center: Tomislav Ivisic, backup: Zvonimir Ivisic
Just yesterday, forwards Jake Davis and David Mirkovic announced their returns, and center Tomislav Ivisic will undeniably return to the starting role, once again supported by his brother, Zvonimir Ivisic.
With the addition of former Providence starting guard Stefan Vaaks, the offensive production for Illinois can be expected to be even higher than it was this season, despite star point guard Keaton Wagler declaring for the NBA Draft.
Not to mention, the Illini are still in contention to land one of the top players remaining in the portal: John Blackwell, a masterful guard who could easily earn a spot in the starting rotation for Underwood.
With just four days until the transfer portal closes, Illinois has only lost three players: point guard Mihailo Petrovic (averaged just 5.7 minutes over 19 appearances last season), small forward Toni Bilic (was on the practice squad), and small forward Ty Rodgers (has not played since the 2023-24 season).
This year's team was one of the best rotations that Illinois has seen in about two decades, and that much proved to be true as the Fighting Illini made their run to the Final Four. Next year's team could easily take it one step further.
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