Illinois entered the 2024-25 season with great expectations. Off an Elite 8, head coach Brad Underwood used the momentum to reload the roster and adapt to the ever-changing collegiate atmosphere. Orlando Antigua returned as associate head coach, which kick-started the recruitment of some elite talent.
With freshmen, former five-star transfers and mid-major pieces coming in to fit certain roles, hope was in the air that Illinois was on the brink of becoming a top-tier program. Now, the program is still in a good place, with at least one tournament victory in four of the last five seasons and plenty of talented recruits incoming each year, but the extreme roster fluctuation has become a point of annoyance for many in the fanbase.
When the season ended, there was some hope for the future, considering a majority of the Illinois roster had remaining eligibility. A couple of future first-round draft picks added to the list of expected departures, but the post-game message from players was encouraging. That changed as quickly as it began, with a recent domino effect of exits.
How we got here
There’s no reason to harp on the season too much; everyone knows the story. The good vibes created through historic wins and a powerful offense faded when freshman guard Kasparas Jakučionis injured his arm.
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From there, the roster wasn’t fully healthy until the postseason. Illinois was upset by poor teams like USC and Nebraska and downright embarrassed against others like No. 11 Maryland — twice — and No. 3 Duke on national television in the pinnacle of basketball.
As it got healthier, Illinois certainly improved, but never to early-season standards. By the end, it was a mystery which Illinois team would show up, and all anyone could do was wait until game time. In both the Big Ten tournament and the NCAA tournament, the good Illini arrived for game one, resulting in exciting victories as they moved on to the next round. The opposite version of Illinois came out for game two in both cases, and … yeah.
Three-point shooting essentially decided every game for the Illini. They were 19-3 when shooting above 27% from beyond the arc this season. That may seem impressive for a program that has molded itself around long-range shots during Underwood’s tenure, but it’s a misleading statistic. The real issue was that the Illini built a roster to shoot lights out, but shot 27% or worse in 13 games. With the troubles, Underwood acknowledged the desire to get older and better at shooting this off-season.
Portal updates
Illinois is fortunate to have such a flexible coach regarding the portal and NIL. Coaches have been dropping like flies in the last couple of years, but Underwood has stayed true and done his best to adapt. However, rebuilding every year is not sustainable, and the Illini are learning that now.
With five players gone via the portal and Jakučionis and freshman forward Will Riley likely headed to the draft, plenty of roster spots are up in the air. As crazy as it sounds, players need to announce that they are “back” these days. The only confirmed returners so far are junior guard Kylan Boswell, junior guard Ty Rodgers and sophomore forward Jake Davis.
Sophomore center Tomislav Ivišić is a question mark right now, but many believe he will test the draft process and return to Champaign. He has ties with Antigua, but Ivišić also could have some personal interest. According to the Illini Inquirer, Tomislav Ivišić’s brother, sophomore center Zvonimir Ivišić, entered the portal and is in contact with Illinois. Zvonimir Ivišić, with size, defense and shooting, would be a big addition for Illinois.
Unfortunately for the staff, they haven’t had much luck elsewhere so far. They got deep in talks with junior guard Josh Dix and senior guard Jaylin Sellers, but were unable to secure either one. Other players contacted, like junior center Christoph Tilly and freshman guard All Wright, have also committed to different schools, leaving the Illini roster dry so far.
It is far too early to hold any other emotion than slight disappointment at not securing Illinois’ early-priority misses. Plenty of talent remains in the portal, including some who haven’t yet entered. Still, after a frustrating season, it’s been a slow off-season, and next year is full of question marks just two weeks following Illinois’ exit from the tournament.
@benfader7
