The Illinois Fighting Illini reached the Final Four of the 2026 NCAA men’s tournament for the first time since 2005. Illinois ended up losing a close game to the UConn Huskies before Michigan cut down the nets in the national championship game. Most programs as successful as Illinois was last season are struggling right now to replace losing key players to the NBA Draft or transfer portal. The Illini are the exception and that sets them up for another big year next season.
Andrej Stojakovic announced he would return to Illinois for his senior season on Friday afternoon. Stojakovic’s announcement follows the return commitments earlier this week of teammates David Mirkovic, Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic and Jake Davis. The Illini will lose Keaton Wagler in the 2026 NBA Draft, where he is expected to go in the top 7, but they will bring back almost everyone else.
Wagler is a significant loss, but Illinois found what looks like a perfect replacement for him in Providence guard Stefan Veels in the transfer portal. Like Wagler, Veels is a tall (6’7) and lean guard who is at his best shooting 3-pointers off the dribble. He often made 35 percent of his 3-pointers on 91 of 260 shots from behind the arc last year as a freshman. More than 35 percent of those shootings were unassisted.
Illinois found a winning formula last season by shooting 3-pointers at will and hitting the offensive glass hard. The Illini made 49.7 percent of their field goal attempts from three-point range, which ranked 15th in DI. They grabbed 39.2 percent of their misses, which ranked third overall in offensive rebounding rate. The offense finished the year ranked No. 2 in efficiency, scoring an incredible 131.2 points per 100 possessions.
This type of roster retention for an elite team is incredibly rare in the era of the transfer portal. Last year’s average was 31 percent workforce retention, according to Evan Miyakawa. The Illini return five players who played at least 42 percent of available minutes last year. Most college teams need to build continuity at the beginning of the season. The Illini will already have it.
Illinois could be the No. 1 team in college basketball preseason poll for 2026-27
I don’t see a team that deserves to be ranked ahead of Illinois at this point for the 2026-27 season. I predict the Illini will be ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll preseason poll when it is released closer to the season.
Losing Wagler to the NBA and Kylan Boswell to graduation is a big deal, but it shouldn’t matter. Illinois keeps its ridiculously talented frontcourt in place, featuring two 7’1 guys who can shoot and protect the rim in the Ivisic twins, plus a 6’9 fighter in Mirkovic who cleans the glass, stretches the floor, and can even run a little offense with the ball in his hands. Davis is a veteran wing who makes 40 percent of his three-pointers and doesn’t turn the ball over. Stojakovic is a lethal killer and a sturdy perimeter defender with a big body on the wing.
Add in the Veels’ shooting and the addition of incoming freshmen Quentin Coleman and Lucas Morillo, and this Illinois team should be really good.
You will often need to take a creative leap. Coleman is a four-star recruit with a lean frame and shooting ability, and it will be interesting to see if Brad Underwood can develop him similarly to Wagler. Morillo is a 6’7 wing with a sloppy defensive streak who can also run some offense with the ball in his hands. The Illini are still in the mix to transfer Wisconsin’s John Blackwell, who we rank as one of the top 5 portal players available, and if they land him, it would be an embarrassment of riches.
Illinois will have competition for the number one spot in the polls. Florida will bring back Thomas Haugh and Alex Condon as two players who would have been drafted in June had they turned pro. UConn is also crushing the portal by landing Najai Hines and retaining guard Silas Demary. Michigan is expected to lose Aday Mara and Morez Johnson to the NBA, but if they were to somehow get both back, the Wolverines have be number one in the polls. Louisville deserves consideration after adding Flory Bidunga and two other stud transfers.
Most traditional powers have work to do. Kentucky, Duke, Kansas and North Carolina have had a quiet offseason. The balance of power could be shifting in men’s college basketball. At least heading into next season, the Illini are as good as anyone.