Other than a frustrating mid-summer foot surgery for breakout sophomore big man David Mirkovic, it's been a weirdly chill summer for Brad Underwood amidst the chaos that is college basketball. Turns out, you don't need injunctions or shady judges who may or may not tilt toward the orange and blue when you get your work done early. The Illini became just the fourth team in the transfer portal era to retain five key rotation players from a Final Four club.

This coaching staff believes it is close to scaling the mountain once and for all. It's what made the Keaton Wagler-led ride to the Final Four so special. It's also what made another do-or-die loss to UConn, despite a hefty homecourt advantage in Indianapolis, just so devastating. Underwood can only imagine the what-ifs if all those layups that kissed every part of the rim without going into the bucket ended slightly differently.

It's over. It's all about stacking the next bite at the apple in the pursuit of a championship. 

Underwood has done that using mostly retention combined with a splash of the portal and a six-man freshman class. Illinois will enter 2026-27 as a potential Top 5 team in the country with legit Final Four aspirations.

"Illinois would be my choice if they had reliable point guard play," a Big 12 assistant told CBS Sports' Matt Norlander when asked for his best team in the country. "I'm not sold that Quentin Coleman can be the point guard they need as a freshman, though." 

Good thing Coleman isn't slated to be the starting point guard.

Let's dive in.

Projected starting lineup

1. G Stefan Vaaks | 6-7 | 215 | So.

Vaaks is a major part of the Keaton Wagler Replacement Plan. Good luck topping one of the best individual seasons in program history that came out of absolutely nowhere, but Vaaks is brimming with talent in his own right. The soon-to-be sophomore lead guard averaged nearly 16 points for Providence in his first season of college basketball and showcased the exact type of stuff that Illinois likes for its lead guards.

Are you big? Vaaks checks in at a whopping 6-foot-7. 

Can you make pull-up 3s? Vaaks tied for 12th nationally with Louisville lottery pick Mikel Brown Jr., splashing 1.2 pull-up triples per game.

Can you pass? Vaaks posted a serviceable 18% assist rate, and his live-dribble reads are extremely tantalizing. 

That forms a promising base for a player that Underwood described as the most talented player in the portal, but there's a long list of things for Vaaks to work on to become the best version of himself. His defense was a disaster last year at Providence. Can it just be solid? There were 19 separate occasions last year where Vaaks went an entire game with two or fewer shots at the rim. Can't happen. He's too big to take this many jumpers.

If things go according to plan, Vaaks will only be in Champaign one year before heading off to the NBA. 

2. G Quentin Coleman | 6-4 | 180 | Fr.

Energy. That's one of the first things you notice about how Coleman approaches the game. The 6-foot-4 freshman guard skyrocketed into five-star status and is positioned to be a real piece of this Illinois rotation. That high level of competitive spirit will be his calling card early in his career. It comes in the form of voracious offensive rebounding, ball-hawking defense and hitting the gas in transition. Coleman's skill has also improved by the day. Illinois needs him to play simple basketball at the beginning: knock down catch-and-shoot 3s, cut effectively, attack long closeouts, make the extra pass, guard your yard and hit the glass like a madman. 

It starts to get fun if Coleman shows this coaching staff that he needs way more on-ball reps. Currently, he's behind Mirkovic, Vaaks and Stojakovic in the offensive pecking order. Can he crash that hierarchy?

3. G Andrej Stojakovic | 6-7 | 205 | Sr.

Stojakovic, paired with the nation's best 3-point shooting frontcourt, is a win-win for everybody. When Illinois needs a bucket, tapping the Stojakovic button remains effortless. Stojakovic's drives should be one of the most efficient plays in Illinois' offensive repertoire. The slick 6-foot-7 wing averaged 1.107 points per possession on a whopping 103 drives last season, which was one of the best marks in the country. Stojakovic has a combination of length, strength, footwork and craftsmanship that you just can't teach.

But Stojakovic's case to be an All-Big Ten talent hinges on the mental toughness to do the hard stuff as often as possible. Illinois needs Stojakovic to be a defensive stopper on the perimeter. Illinois needs Stojakovic to keep rebounding on both ends. Everyone is focused on Stojakovic's wonky 3-pointer (24% on 82 attempts), but if he improves his decision-making, that will bump up his offensive output even more. He posted multiple assists just nine times last year. Let's double that in 2026-27.

If he aces all the role-player stuff while doubling as the Big Ten's best isolation scorer, Stojakovic can help vault Illinois back into a Final Four-caliber club.

4. F David Mirkovic | 6-9 | 250 | So.

Illinois has had four All-Americans in the last six years. Mirkovic has a chance to make it five out of seven if his body will cooperate. Mirkovic underwent foot surgery in early August. Illinois is hopeful he will not miss any of the high-profile non-conference games, but big men and foot injuries form a frightening combination because of the setback risk.

But when he gets healthy, Mirkovic can be the best player in college basketball next season because of his five-tool skillset. Mirkovic averaged 13.6 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.7 assists as a true freshman while showcasing high-level skill as a stretch 4 who can pass, dribble and shoot. Mirkovic shot 38% from 3-point range on 152 attempts, which totally changed how defenders had to plan for him.

Illinois is prepared to build its entire offense around Mirkovic. 

What's that look like? Mid-post backdowns where he can go to work as a scorer or scan the floor, draw two defenders and find the open shooter or cutter. There will be plenty of pick-and-rolls with Mirkovic as the handler. Illinois can put the worst defender into the action because they will ask anybody to be that screener. Big-to-big pick-and-rolls will be in the arsenal, but some inverted pick-and-rolls should be in the cards to potentially bait defenses into switching a small onto Mirkovic, where he can walk 'em down to the paint or just abuse them as an offensive rebounder. 

It's simple basketball with a sharp, skilled processor. 

It sounds very similar to the type of offense that Duke built around Cameron Boozer. Mirkovic may not replicate Boozer's inevitable 20-and-10 showings, but something like 16 points, nine rebounds and three or four assists is firmly in the range of potential outcomes.

Mirkovic will be on my preseason All-American ballot.

5. C Tomislav Ivisic | 7-1 | 270 | Sr.

Tomislav Ivisic didn't reach All-Big Ten status last year, but when Illinois needed him most, he was outstanding. Ivisic shot an absurd 7-for-11 (64%) on 3-pointers in the clutch, which is measured when the score is within five points with less than five minutes to go.

There are only eight occurrences of a 7-footer hitting 50+ 3-pointers in the Bart Torvik database, stretching back to 2008. Two of those seasons belong to Ivisic. That's rare air. He's the best pick-and-pop center in the Big Ten, and Ivisic has rounded out the rough edges of his game every single season. He shot a whopping 86% at the rim last year and improved mightily as a mismatch smasher. When Tennessee switched razor-thin freshman Nate Ament onto him, Ivisic had the power to put the future lottery pick into the stanchion over and over again and the skill and footwork to finagle his way to the tin and finish with his right or left.

With a full, healthy offseason, Illinois is hopeful to see Ivisic at the peak of his powers. He becomes a ridiculously tough cover if you have to respect his post game, the 3-point shot and the additional threat of him putting it on the deck once or twice to bend the defense as a driver, especially when he's proven to be smart enough to flip high-low dimes to Mirkovic or find a shooter. 

The big man seems primed to assert himself even more as one of the Big Ten's best offensive centers, even though he may never be a game-changing rim protector.

Off the bench

F Jake Davis | 6-6 | 210 | Sr.

No one had a higher offensive rating in college basketball last season than Davis. His superpower is playing clean. Davis turned it over just six times last season while shooting 40% from downtown on 133 attempts. That's going to be his M.O. this season whether he's starting or coming off the bench. The 6-6 senior just does his job. He's usually in the right spot at the right time on defense. The ball rarely sticks on offense when Davis is involved in the action. Plus, he's got a bit of a snarl in the best way. He'll woof at anybody and everybody, even if it doesn't end well (see his meeting at the summit with ex-Illini Morez Johnson).

C Zvonimir Ivisic | 7-2 | 250 | Sr.

Zvonimir Ivisic is one of the most talented backup centers in the country. He's fresh off a season where he posted a ludicrous 12.4 block rate. That's the best mark for an Illinois big man since KenPom began tracking the stat in 2001-02. For stretches, he can be a total game-wrecker because he moves like a pro. That length? That ability to run? The shooting? The baptisms? Mercy.

The challenge is consistency and physicality. 

G Lincoln Williams | 6-5 | 180 | Fr.

Williams has been a pleasant surprise this summer, transforming from a potential end-of-the-bench stash to a legit option to fill a role off the bench in 2026-27. Defense is the name of the game here for the bouncy freshman. Williams is one of the best athletes on the team, and this Illinois roster isn't teeming with elite wiggle. Williams' case for minutes hinges on defense and how well he can impact the game without the ball in his hands.

C Jason Jakstys | 6-10 | 220 | R-So.

Jakstys has only played 48 career minutes after redshirting 2024-25 and undergoing a season-ending surgery to handle a blood clot last winter. It would likely take an injury to open up significant minutes for Jakstys, but Tomislav Ivisic has missed multiple games in back-to-back seasons. Jakstys is part of the frontcourt's insurance policy.

G Lucas Morillo | 6-7 | 210 | Fr.

Morillo is a top-60 freshman who will be given every opportunity to compete for minutes. The 6-7 wing profiles as a high-feel handler who is a jumper away from having a true pass-dribble-shoot skillset. Can Morillo make enough catch-and-shoot 3s to be a valuable off-ball spacer? Or does he need the ball in his hands to be most effective? If he needs the ball to be a real dude, Morillo could have a bit of a challenge to play serious minutes right away. There's only one ball and Mirkovic, Vaaks and Stojakovic are going to be tough to unseat in that department.

G Ethan Brown | 6-4 | 185 | Fr.

Brown is a better athlete than he'll get credit for, but the jumper will be his way to get on the floor early in his career. Brown was also a terrific transition scorer in high school. Illinois wants to get out and run a bit more this season, and Brown could be part of that formula if he earns enough trust.

F Zavier Zens | 6-7 | 215 | Fr.

Zens is the cousin of Kon Knueppel and teamed up with the NBA's 2026 Rookie of the Year runner-up to win a state championship at Wisconsin Lutheran in 2024. After Knueppel left for Duke, Zens took over the head honcho role for Wisconsin Lutheran and won two more state championships, this time alongside Kager Knueppel, who is committed to the Blue Devils in the Class of 2027.

The 6-7 wing has a bit of a funky release on his jumper, but he's tough, smart and can get buckets inside and out. Zens has an uphill climb to carve out real minutes in this rotation, but there's also room at the inn for an eighth man to emerge and Zens is in contention for it. 

F Landon Davis | 6-9 | 220 | Fr.

Positional size, shooting and passing? Sounds like an Illinois recruit. Davis profiles as a 6-9 stretch 4 who should be able to run for days. He just needs to fill out his frame with grown-man strength.

Market watch

Odds to win 2026 NCAA Tournament (via Fanduel): +1200, fourth-best odds

Let's talk each side of the floor here.

The offense: Illinois' offense will not be better than last year's unit that finished No. 2 nationally. Keaton Wagler was way, way too good. But the bones of a top-10 offense are still very much here. Illinois profiles as an elite offensive-rebounding outfit, which should be the salve for some of the extra turnovers that may be in the portfolio with Mirkovic and Stojakovic getting more on-ball reps. Illinois could also use more transition points to make up the gap for a slightly worse halfcourt offense. Illinois scored just 5.6 fastbreak points per game last year. That rated in the third percentile nationally, per CBB Analytics. Illinois will be an excellent rebounding team and when you rebound, you can run. Coleman, Vaaks, Stojakovic and a leaner Mirkovic should be able to get more in transition than a year ago, when playing slow was Illinois' best bet. I think this offense finishes like seventh-best nationally, unless Vaaks transforms into a total superstar.

The defense: An underrated subplot is that Illinois' retention could reap rewards on defense under second-year defensive coordinator Cam Crocker. Defending without fouling and limiting shots at the rim is the superpower of this gameplan. Layups and free throws are the highest-value shots for an offense, and Illinois doesn't let you have either. The Illini are going to be ridiculously big, so protecting the paint should be a strength again.

But there are big personnel losses. Ben Humrichous and Kylan Boswell were two of the best defenders on the team. Illinois will miss them. Wagler was an offensive savant, but he brought it defensively as well. A Boswell-Wagler backcourt is better defensively than a Coleman-Vaaks backcourt will be. Can Illinois' size on the back end make up for all of it? I think if Illinois finished 20th nationally in defense, Underwood would take that.

No. 7 offense + No. 20 defense = A No. 2 seed with a chance to win the Big Ten and make a run to the Final Four?

Bites at the apple.

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