Predicting Illinois Basketball's Leaders in Major Statistical Categories

Illinois coach Brad Underwood, one of the top recruiters in college basketball, has made a habit of building rosters stacked with talent in Champaign. Often, he seems focused less on player fit and more on securing the best his recruiters can muster, then figuring out the rest later – a method that appears to have served him well.

Still, there’s only one ball to go around, and that can cause issues for a squad full of ball-dominant players. Certainly Kasparas Jakucionis, and arguably both Kylan Boswell and Will Riley, were most effective with the rock in their hands last season, meaning the offensive end could become problematic at times when the trio shared the court.

As for 2025-26, things should flow a bit smoother. Boswell, international pickup Mihailo Petrovic and Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic are all most effective with the ball on the offensive end, but Petrovic specializes as a table-setter, while Boswell and Stojakovic can be impactful on or off the ball.

That said, Stojakovic stands head and shoulders above the rest of the Illini in terms of shot creation, while also adding value as a spot-up shooter – meaning, he figures to be Illinois’ go-to scorer.