Illinois season preview: a Final Four core with new pieces

Where last season ended

Illinois finished 28-9 overall and 15-5 in Big Ten play. That conference record tied Michigan State and Nebraska, and the NCAA standings put the Illini fourth in the league. Brad Underwood coached the team. Illinois beat Iowa 71-59 in the Elite Eight in Houston, then lost 71-62 to UConn in the national semifinal on April 4 in Indianapolis.

Who is gone

Keaton Wagler, a first-round NBA draft pick, left the program. Kylan Boswell signed a two-way NBA contract, and Ben Humrichous is also out of the picture. Four players entered the transfer portal: Brandon Lee (to James Madison), Mihailo Petrovic (to Seton Hall), Ty Rodgers (to Boise State), and Toni Bilic.

Who is back

Andrej Stojakovic, a senior guard listed at 6-7, is the main returning backcourt player. David Mirkovic, a sophomore forward listed at 6-9, and Tomislav Ivisic, a senior center listed at 7-1, also return. Jake Davis, a senior forward, and Jason Jakstys, a redshirt sophomore center, stay on the roster. Stojakovic and Mirkovic both made the 2026-27 preseason All-Big Ten team.

Who is new

Stefan Vaaks, a sophomore guard, transfers in from Providence. Quentin McCoy, a junior, transfers in from Arizona State. Positions, heights, and class years come from the 2026-27 roster page, which says it was last updated in September. The freshman class is listed below.

Incoming freshmen

Illinois adds six freshmen, all listed as first-years on the 2026-27 roster. 247Sports ranks the Illini class No. 11 nationally, and it arrives after Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell left the roster.

• Quentin Coleman, guard, 6-4, The Principia (Mo.), O'Fallon, Ill. (No. 13 in the 247Sports final Class of 2026 rankings)
• Lincoln Williams, guard, 6-5, Kankakee High School, Kankakee, Ill. (No. 170 in the 247Sports Class of 2026 commits list)
• Lucas Morillo, guard, 6-7, The Newman School (Mass.), Mount Vernon, N.Y. (No. 52 in the 247Sports final Class of 2026 rankings)
• Ethan Brown, guard, 6-4, Rolla High School, Rolla, Mo. (No. 169 in the 247Sports final Class of 2026 rankings)
• Landon Davis, forward, 6-9, Waukee Northwest High School, Waukee, Iowa (No. 247 in the 247Sports final Class of 2026 rankings)
• Zavier Zens, forward, 6-7, Wisconsin Lutheran High School, Milwaukee, Wis. (No. 124 in the 247Sports final Class of 2026 rankings)

The number to know

The number is KenPom net rating, also called adjusted efficiency margin. It is points scored minus points allowed per 100 possessions, adjusted for opponent strength and pace. Illinois finished the 2025-26 season at +33.66, fifth among Division I teams in KenPom's final ratings. Michigan led at +39.70, and Michigan State was 10th at +28.76.

The figure covers the full 2025-26 season, so it shows how efficiently the team played across the year. It does not show which players left, which injuries cost games, or how the roster will change before the first game. KenPom tracks close-game luck in a separate column, and this number does not include it.

Questions for this season

Can the guards replace Wagler's role? Stojakovic is the main returning guard, and Vaaks is the main addition from another program. How much of the ball-handling and shot creation they absorb will shape the season.

Can Ivisic stay healthy and anchor the frontcourt next to Mirkovic? The two bigs give Illinois size, but the rotation depends on how they share minutes.

How fast do the freshmen earn minutes? Six newcomers from high school are a large group for one class, and the early weeks will show which of them can play right away.

Our early read

Our tier is Contender (top 4), and our projected conference finish is first. Illinois keeps a senior guard, a sophomore forward and a senior center from a team that ranked fifth in KenPom. The departures are real, and the guard spot is the open question. A top-five margin and two preseason All-Big Ten selections support the projection, but a new backcourt can slow any team down.