Illinois’ X-Factor vs. UConn: The Player Who Could Decide the Final Four

The 2025-26 season was up and down for Illinois wing Andrej Stojakovic – until the NCAA Tournament. Before the Big Dance tipped off, Stojakovic, a highly touted transfer from Cal, enjoyed stretches of dominance with the Illini (notably three straight games of 20 or more points early in the season) but also some duds.

How did Stojakovic, a downhill-oriented wing, fit in with this group? That was the question Illinois had been asking itself, and failing to answer, for all of 30-some games.

As a seemingly last-ditch effort, the Illini tried moving Stojakovic into a reserve role. After a 22-point game here and a 21-point, 12-rebound game there, Brad Underwood and his staff elected to stick with Stojakovic coming off the bench – a role he has more than embraced.

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Now, in the tournament, Stojakovic is only up. Averaging 15.0 points through four games, Stojakovic is playing his most consistently productive – and efficient (59.5 percent from the field in four tournament games) – basketball.

Matched with that scoring ability – which is predicated on attacking the basket, balancing out Illinois’ perimeter-oriented stars spectacularly – is top-notch defense. On Saturday night vs. UConn (5:09 p.m. CT, TBS), the Illini will need those bucket-getting and -stopping elements to be on full display, while Stojakovic will also need to step it up on the glass.

Why Andrej Stojakovic is Illinois’ X-Factor against UConn in the Final Four

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) controls the ball against Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cooper Koch (8) in the second half during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

In the first go-round of Illinois-UConn, which took place back in November, freshman guard Keaton Wagler played just 14 minutes and scored three points. That has been a frequently raised anecdote going into this rematch -…

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Publish date : 2026-04-02 23:34:00

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