Welcome to “Big Ten offseason at a glance,” a team-by-team look at the conference at the start of the summer. We’ll examine roster movement for each Big Ten roster and give an early outlook for each Big Ten program for the 2025-26 season.
Previously: Rutgers, Penn State, Minnesota, Northwestern, Washington, Oregon, Nebraska, Maryland, Iowa, Wisconsin, USC, Ohio State, Michigan State
Today: Illinois (22-13 overall in 2024-25, 12-8 in Big Ten play)
Illinois was one of the streakiest teams in the country last year – it won multiple Big Ten games by 30-plus points and lost to Duke on a neutral site by 43 points. Still, the Illini relatively overachieved, primarily thanks to a late offseason addition and freshman phenom Kasparas Jakucionis. Brad Underwood now gears up for year nine in Champaign, fresh off a contract extension through the 2030-31 season.
Illinois’ roster movement
Players returning with eligibility: Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic, Ty Rodgers, Ben Humrichous, Jake Davis, Jason Jakstys
Players departing via exhausted eligibility: none
Players departing for the NBA draft: Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley
Players departing via transfer portal: Tre White (to Kansas), Morez Johnson (to Michigan), Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn (to UNLV), Carey Booth (to Colorado State)
Players arriving via transfer portal: Andrej Stojakovic (from Cal), Zvonimir Ivisic (from Arkansas)
Players arriving from high school/overseas: Brandon Lee, Keaton Wagler, Mihailo Petrovic, David Mirkovic
Best wishes in advance to all broadcasters on the call for Illinois next year. The Illini lose a lot of production but will also return a strong faction to join the incoming “Balkan Boys.” Some of the losses were unexpected – Riley seemed on the fence for the NBA until late season and Johnson was expected to be a key piece this upcoming season. However, Illinois’ small portal class is strong, as both transfers are inside the 247Sports top 50. Boswell, Ivisic and Humrichous highlight the returning pieces. Both Petrovic and Mirkovic are highly-rated international prospects who should make immediate impacts.
What to like about Illinois
The size of this Illinois roster is staggering. Tomislav Ivisic stands at 7-foot-1 and his incoming brother, Zvonimir, is listed as 7-foot-2. Mirkovic and Humrichous, both at 6-foot-9, will provide frontcourt depth as well. Rebounding and interior…
