No. 5 Center
- Starter: Tomislav Ivisic
The talent Illinois has this season is quite impressive. The starting big man for the Illini in 2025-26 is going to be Tomislav Ivisic. He is someone who could easily sneak up and be a contender for the Naismith Award this season.
It is crazy to think that a 7-foot-1 player could lead a program in three-point shooting. That is what Ivisic did last season, shooting 35.7% from three-point range. He is an incredible talent who will take Illinois to great heights. I fully expect him to increase his 13.0 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks from last season as well.
- Backup: Jason Jakstys
I kind of shuffled Jason Jakstys off to the side last season, and I didn’t expect much out of him entering the 2025-26 campaign either. I believe that the Ivisic brothers will handle the No. 5 spot duties, and that won’t leave a ton of minutes for Jakstys this season.
With that being said, I was impressed with what I saw out of Jakstys in the exhibition game. He is much bigger this season, and he clearly gets the game. He played nine minutes and put up five points, three rebounds, and one assist. Again, Illinois probably won’t use him much this season, but he is a nice insurance policy for the frontcourt.