Who Starts for Illinois: Ben Humrichous, Zvonimir Ivisic or David Mirkovic?

Mirkovic has a frame that is mature beyond his years. Wide-bodied and with adequate length, he is a top-notch anticipator, a plus defender in the paint and a game-changing rebounder. The only question mark is his lack of agility – and, consequently, his ability to stay in front of athletic, perimeter-oriented forwards.

Ben Humrichous (6-foot-9, 225 pounds)

Strengths: shooting, offensive rebounding, defense, experience Weaknesses: offensive creation, defensive rebounding

Soon-to-be 23 years old, with five years of college basketball already under his belt (including a season in the Big Ten), Humrichous is a veteran in every sense of the word – which is immeasurable by a statistical standard. Also a high-volume, efficient long range marksman, Humrichous has proven his ability to stretch defenses.

Even given his well-documented shooting woes last season, Humrichous was still a 34.3 percent shooter from deep – a number all but guaranteed to climb next season. Worth noting: while Humrichous may not have looked the part of a difference-maker on defense last season, he put up a solid defensive box plus/minus of 3.0; for context, Kylan Boswell recorded a DBPM of 3.5.

Although Humrichous is a board crasher with an uncanny ability to read where a missed shot is headed on the offensive end, he offers little on the defensive glass. Last season he managed just 2.7 defensive rebounds per game – a troubling number considering his position, size and relative athleticism. And aside from his shooting ability on the offensive end – which includes a midrange fadeaway – Humrichous has shown limited creation ability.

Zvonimir Ivisic (7-foot-2, 245 pounds)

Strengths: defense, shooting Weaknesses: physicality, offensive versatility

Although Zvonimir Ivisic’s list of strengths may lack quantity, they more than make up for it with quality. Immediately the best perimeter shooter on this Illini roster, Zvonimir is a 37.6 percent career three-point shooter who hit 1.3 per game last season in just 19.1 minutes per game. Then there’s this: Zvonimir’s career defensive box plus/minus of 4.76 ranks 11th in the SEC since 2010-2011. 

But unlike twin brother Tomislav, Zvonimir isn’t a big-time banger in the paint. The Arkansas transfer rarely posts up, and isn’t quite as effective of a rebounder as you would expect given his size. Also, his fit alongside Tomislav is a bit of an unknown, considering neither can consistently guard a stretch four, let alone an uber-athletic forward.

Illinois on SI's pick: Ben Humrichous 

Humrichous’ experience should earn him the starting role, and Mirkovic will challenge him for it as the season continues, while Zvonimir figures to star in a sixth man role.

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