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The festivities of Big Ten Media Days took place this week, and Illinois basketball was one of the hot topics.
The Illini are projected as one of the best, if not the best, teams in the Big Ten. After a Final Four run, Brad Underwood reloaded and has put us in a great position to contend for a national championship once again.
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Illinois’ talent is pretty special. David Mirkovic and Andrej Stojakovic were both announced as preseason All-Big Ten players during the week. Those two deserve every accolade that comes their way, too.
Mirkovic was one of the best freshman players in the country last season, tallying 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game. Stojakovic was right there numbers-wise with Mirkovic, giving Illinois 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds each night.
Having those two back in the fold is huge. They aren’t the only Illini looking to make an impact, though. I could easily make a case for three other Illinois players to make the preseason All-Big Ten team. In fact, by season’s end, it wouldn’t shock me to see at least one of these three on an All-Big Ten team.
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Stefan Vaaks
Vaaks was the prized transfer portal addition for the Illini. He was right there with the best of the best transfers, checking in at No. 15 in the country.
As a freshman, Vaaks averaged 15.8 points, 3.2 assists, and 2.5 rebounds per game. He also shot 35% from three-point range while taking 8.4 three-pointers per contest.
The Big East snubbed Vaaks from an All-Big East team last season despite him being named as a unanimous All-Freshman team player.
I could see Vaaks’ numbers being about the same in the Big Ten this season. Illinois has to get their scoring from somewhere, and Vaaks is one of the best options on the team. He has shown to be a willing three-point shooter, and at 6-foot-7, Vaaks should get plenty of open looks.
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Tomislav Ivisic
I was surprised by Ivisic’s down year in 2025-26. He is a much better player than his stat line shows.
While…
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Publish date : 2026-10-10 10:30:00
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