Current Projection of Illinois Basketball's 2025-26 Roster

If you needed any further evidence of how quickly fortunes can change – no-hopers lifted to the highest heights, dynasties sunk by a random bounce of the ball or heat-of-the-moment brain fart – see Saturday night's Duke collapse against Houston in the NCAA Tournament semifinal.

To quote one of history's great philosopher's, "Life moves pretty fast." And that goes double for life inside the college basketball universe.

Two days ago, for example, Illinois was facing an immediate future without two starters (Morez Johnson Jr. and Tre White) and a key sub (Dre Gibbs-Lawhorn) from last season, as well as the possibility that Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley – arguably the program's top two players – would follow them through the exit, on to the NBA. If it wasn't a full-blown crisis, the Illini were at least consulting the Defcon levels chart.

Fast-forward to last night and the arrival of Zvonimir Ivisic, twin brother of Illini center Tomislav. Suddenly an enormous breach in the hull was plugged new possibilities dawned, Champaign again appeared to be a destination worth considering by talented transfer portal inhabitants.