Can Brad Underwood bring a national title to Illinois in 2027?

Conversations about a national championship don’t happen often in Champaign, but the Orange and Blue crowd has every reason to dream big this season. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place on May 27 when Andrej Stojakovic announced his return, locking in an Illinois roster that will enter the season with a target on its back.

Retention has been the headline of the offseason for Illinois, as it returns not just players, but the core contributors and leaders from a team that just went to its first Final Four since 2005.

Over the last 20 years, more than 75% of national champions returned at least three key rotation players from the previous season’s squad. Illinois has that box checked, returning a battle-tested core that includes David Mirkovic, Andrej Stojaković , Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Jake Davis. No other team in the country has brought back the combination of talent and high-level experience that Illinois has.

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The Retention

As last season progressed, Illinois fans witnessed individual development as key pieces fully embraced and excelled in their specific roles. Look no further than the bigs the Illini will boast again this year. The incredible length and versatility of Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic give Illinois one of the most dominant frontcourts in the entire country. Rather than starting from scratch, Underwood gets to send out a duo that has already developed into their roles on both sides of the ball.

However, a truly elite frontcourt requires more than just height, it requires versatile forwards. That is where sophomore David Mirkovic completely changes the ceiling for Illinois. As an All-Big Ten Freshman Team selection, Mirkovic put on an clinic last season, averaging 13.3 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds, as a freshman. His ability to step out and stretch defenses by shooting 37.5% from beyond the arc brings another level of versatility to this offense that already gives opposing team headaches. He went from a young,…

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Publish date : 2026-05-30 11:55:00

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