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Illinois basketball

Kylan Boswell: Strengths, Weaknesses of former Illini PG as NBA Combine Nears

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This past Friday saw the NBA Draft Combine invite list, 73 names long, released, and it included three Illinois Fighting Illini. Shooting guard and Jerry West Award wiiner Keaton Wagler, point guard/combo guard Kylan Boswell and small forward Andrej Stojakovic. Wagler is set to become a top 10, maybe even 5 overall pick. Stojakovic, who has a mid-to-late second round grade, … [Read more...] about Kylan Boswell: Strengths, Weaknesses of former Illini PG as NBA Combine Nears

Illinois Basketball: Where the Roster Now Stands After Flurry of Decisions

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Wednesday brought a massive flurry of news for Illinois basketball. David Mirkovic, Jake Davis, Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic all confirmed that they are coming back for next season. Then on Thursday morning, we learned that Ty Rodgers is entering the transfer portal. So what does the current roster look like for 2026-27 Illinois basketball? This chart below is up to date, … [Read more...] about Illinois Basketball: Where the Roster Now Stands After Flurry of Decisions

Illini Land Stefan Vaaks, Fill Shooting Guard Void Left by Keaton Wagler Departure

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As soon as it opened, the men's basketball transfer portal had a flood of names in it. It was well over 1,000 names, and then quickly surpassed 2,000, just like that. And pretty soon, the transfer market was open, and recruiting efforts were already well underway. The Illinois Fighting Illini got a very sought after asset in Providence shooting guard Stefan Vaaks. He fills this … [Read more...] about Illini Land Stefan Vaaks, Fill Shooting Guard Void Left by Keaton Wagler Departure

Illini Basketball Transfer Talk: John Blackwell, Mihailo Petrovic, Toni Bilic

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March Madness is now over and the transfer portal is open, so you know what that means, Illini basketball fans- the silly season is here. It's time for the first 2026 edition of Illini basketball transfer talk, and we have items on three different players: John Blackwell, Mihailo Petrovic and Toni Bilic. By the way, and this is no surprise here, Keaton Wagler has officially … [Read more...] about Illini Basketball Transfer Talk: John Blackwell, Mihailo Petrovic, Toni Bilic

Mihailo Petrovic Exclusive: ‘Final Four was a beautiful experience’

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During Illinois' opening round NCAA Tournament rout over Penn, Philadelphia Eagles icon, soon-to-be brother-in-law of Taylor Swift and guy who appears in every third commercial that airs during a NFL game Jason Kelce tweeted about the Illini. “Who knew that Illinois had so many Serbians,” the ESPN talking posted on Twitter. Actually, Illinois only has one Serbian on the roster, … [Read more...] about Mihailo Petrovic Exclusive: ‘Final Four was a beautiful experience’

Andrej Stojakovic Making Own Name for Himself; He’s Much More than Peja’s Son

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As the Illinois Fighting Illini went on their deep run through March, certain story angles got beaten to death. We chronicled most of them in our Illinois Fighting Illini Bingo Card/Drinking Game with "Camera Shows Peja Stojakovic" near the top of the list. Right next to it is "Announcer Says Andrej Stojakovic Has a Completely Different Kind of Game tha His Ftaher." Ok, we get … [Read more...] about Andrej Stojakovic Making Own Name for Himself; He’s Much More than Peja’s Son

Illini Basketball Game Preview, Prediction: Final Four vs UConn

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When this Illini basketball team lost to UConn at Madison Square Garden on Black Friday, it was a game that didn't receive much hype. After all, it was an early tip-off on the day after Thanksgiving, on many people were more focused on food, shopping, holiday season activities and football than they were on basketball. And then the game itself lived down to the lack of hype, … [Read more...] about Illini Basketball Game Preview, Prediction: Final Four vs UConn

Exclusive: Illini Forward David Mirkovic on Elevating His Game Through Victories

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Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic is having one hell of a NCAA Tournament. In addition to averagin 16.7 ppg and 10.7 rpg this March Madness, the Niksic, Montenegro native provided one of the tourney's best soundbites/most memorable moment. Take a look below, and make your best guess as to what the "secret" is. … [Read more...] about Exclusive: Illini Forward David Mirkovic on Elevating His Game Through Victories

Brad Underwood ‘never doubted’ Illinois Would Get to a Final Four

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"Living the dream" is a term that is certainly cliche, but it's also a wonderful reality for those who get to truly experience it. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is one of the fortunate few for which this catchphrase is very real. Leading the Illini has been Underwood's dream job for a long time. During his days leading Stephen F. Austin, he told an assistant that … [Read more...] about Brad Underwood ‘never doubted’ Illinois Would Get to a Final Four