2025–26 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team

2025–26 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball
ConferenceBig Ten Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 9
Record24–7 (15–5 Big Ten)
Head coach
Associate head coachOrlando Antigua (2nd, 6th overall season)
Assistant coaches
  • Geoff Alexander (5th season)
  • Tyler Underwood (3rd season)
  • Camryn Crocker (1st season)
  • Zach Hamer (3rd season)
Home arenaState Farm Center
Seasons
← 2024–25
2026–27 →
2025–26 Big Ten Conference men's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 3 Michigan 19 – 1   .950 30 – 2   .938
No. 11 Nebraska 15 – 5   .750 26 – 6   .813
No. 8 Michigan State 15 – 5   .750 25 – 7   .781
No. 9 Illinois 15 – 5   .750 24 – 8   .750
No. 23 Wisconsin 14 – 6   .700 24 – 9   .727
No. 18 Purdue 13 – 7   .650 25 – 8   .758
UCLA 13 – 7   .650 23 – 10   .697
Ohio State 12 – 8   .600 21 – 12   .636
Iowa 10 – 10   .500 21 – 12   .636
Indiana 9 – 11   .450 18 – 14   .563
Minnesota 8 – 12   .400 15 – 17   .469
USC 7 – 13   .350 18 – 14   .563
Washington 7 – 13   .350 16 – 17   .485
Rutgers 6 – 14   .300 14 – 19   .424
Northwestern 5 – 15   .250 15 – 19   .441
Oregon 5 – 15   .250 12 – 20   .375
Maryland 4 – 16   .200 12 – 21   .364
Penn State 3 – 17   .150 12 – 20   .375
† 2026 Big Ten tournament winner
As of March 13, 2026
Rankings from AP poll

The 2025–26 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team represents the University of Illinois during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Illini, led by ninth-year head coach Brad Underwood, play their home games at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois as members of the Big Ten Conference.

Previous season

The Fighting Illini finished the 2024–25 season 12-8 in Big Ten play to finish in seventh place. They defeated Iowa before losing to Maryland in the Big Ten tournament. They then got assigned the #6 seed in the Midwest region in the NCAA tournament. They beat Xavier before losing to Kentucky in the second round.

Offseason

In May 2025, it was reported that the team would be hiring Camryn Crocker to replace Tim Anderson, who had left prior to the prior season and whose spot was temporarily filled by Kwa Jones.[1] On June 16, Coach Underwood informed the media that Ty Rodgers had sustained a serious knee injury during a pick-up game in his hometown that would require surgery.[2] Rodgers underwent a successful surgery the following month.[3]

On July 9, the team announced the hiring of Kevin Kruger as Assistant to the Head Coach.[4]

In September, it was reported that Andrej Stojaković had been sidelined with a sprained knee.[5] The following month, Tomislav Ivišić underwent a tonsillectomy and Mihailo Petrović sustained ankle and hamstring injuries, leading to both players missing the Illini's exhibition against Illinois State.[6][7]

Departures

Illinois departures
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Carey Booth 0 F 6'10" 215 Sophomore Englewood, CO Transferred to Colorado State
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn 2 G 6'1" 185 Sophomore Lafayette, IN Transferred to UNLV
Will Riley 7 F 6'8" 195 Freshman Kitchener, Ontario Declared for 2025 NBA draft; selected 21st overall by Utah Jazz, traded to Washington Wizards
Morez Johnson Jr. 21 F 6'9" 255 Freshman Riverdale, IL Transferred to Michigan
Tre White 22 G 6'7" 210 Junior Dallas, TX Transferred to Kansas
Keaton Kutcher 24 G 6'2" 195 RS Junior Mount Vernon, IA Walk-on; graduated
Kasparas Jakučionis 32 G 6'6" 205 Freshman Vilnius, Lithuania Declared for 2025 NBA draft; selected 20th overall by Miami Heat

Incoming transfers

Illinois incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Andrej Stojaković 2 G 6'7" 215 Junior Thessaloniki, Greece California
Zvonimir Ivišić 44 C 7'2" 250 Junior Vodice, Croatia Arkansas

Source:[8]

2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Keaton Wagler
G 		Shawnee, Kansas Shawnee Mission Northwest 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 18, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 3/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   On3: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   
Brandon Lee
G 		San Juan, Puerto Rico The Patrick School 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sep 25, 2024 
Recruit ratings: Rivals: 4/5 stars   247Sports: 4/5 stars   On3: 3/5 stars   ESPN: 4/5 stars   
David Mirković
F 		Niksic, Montenegro SC Derby 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Apr 7, 2025 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports: 4/5 stars   
Mihailo Petrović
G 		Prokuplje, Serbia KK Mega Basket 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Apr 22, 2025 
Recruit ratings: 247Sports: 4/5 stars   
Blake Fagbemi
G 		Naperville, Illinois Benet Academy 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 160 lb (73 kg) May 7, 2025 
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Toni Bilić
F 		Trogir, Croatia KK Cedevita Junior Zagreb 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Dec 16, 2025 
Recruit ratings: No ratings found
Overall recruit ranking:    Rivals: 58    247Sports: 45    On3: 63
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2025–26 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 David Mirković 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Fr KK Studentski centar Nikšić, Montenegro
G 1 Brandon Lee 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Fr The Patrick School San Juan, Puerto Rico
G 2 Andrej Stojaković 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr California Thessaloniki, Greece
F 3 Ben Humrichous 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) 235 lb (107 kg) GS Evansville Tipton, IN
G 4 Kylan Boswell 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Sr Arizona Champaign, IL
G 5 AJ Redd (W) 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 170 lb (77 kg) Sr St. Ignatius College Prep Chicago, IL
G 8 Blake Fagbemi (W) 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Benet Academy Naperville, IL
C 13 Tomislav Ivišić 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 255 lb (116 kg) Jr KK Studentski centar Vodice, Croatia
F 15 Jake Davis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Mercer McCordsville, IN
G/F 20 Ty Rodgers Injured 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) RS Jr Thornton Township HS Saginaw, MI
F 22 Toni Bilić Current redshirt 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr KK Cedevita Junior Zagreb Trogir, Croatia
G 23 Keaton Wagler 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Shawnee Mission Northwest HS Shawnee, KS
C 31 Jason Jakstys Injured 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 225 lb (102 kg) RS Fr Yorkville HS Yorkville, IL
F/C 44 Zvonimir Ivišić 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Arkansas Vodice, Croatia
G 77 Mihailo Petrović 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So KK Mega Basket Prokuplje, Serbia
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: 12/17/25

Note: Mihailo Petrović, despite being a freshman, was awarded three years of eligibility. Thus he is listed as a sophomore for eligibility purposes.[9]

Roster movement

  • Rodgers started the season out indefinitely and has missed every game thus far.[10]
  • Toni Bilić joined the team for the spring semester.[11]
  • Kylan Boswell broke his hand in practice and missed a month.[12]
  • Jason Jakstys suffered a blood clot and was ruled out for the remainder of the season.[13]

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 19, 2025*
2:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 17 Illinois State W 92–65 
 19 – Mirković   14 – Mirković   6 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,180)
Champaign, IL
Regular season
November 3, 2025*
7:30 p.m., BTN 		No. 17 Jackson State W 113–55  1–0
  21 – Tied   14 – Mirković   5 – Boswell  State Farm Center (14,511)
Champaign, IL
November 7, 2025*
7:30 p.m., Peacock 		No. 17 Florida Gulf Coast W 113–70  2–0
  31 – Boswell   11 – Mirković   3 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
November 11, 2025*
7:30 p.m., FS1 		No. 14 No. 11 Texas Tech W 81–77  3–0
  23 – Stojaković   7 – Tied   3 – Boswell  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
November 14, 2025*
7:30 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 14 Colgate W 84–65  4–0
  27 – Mirković   21 – Mirković   4 – Boswell  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
November 19, 2025*
8:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 8 vs. No. 11 Alabama L 86–90  4–1
  26 – Stojaković   10 – Mirković   7 – Boswell  United Center (17,775)
Chicago, IL
November 22, 2025*
1:00 p.m., B1G+ 		No. 8 LIU
Illinois Showcase 		W 98–58  5–1
  20 – Stojaković   8 – Mirković   3 – Tied  State Farm Center (12,625)
Champaign, IL
November 24, 2025*
7:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 13 UT Rio Grande Valley
Illinois Showcase 		W 87–73  6–1
  24 – Stojaković   8 – Wagler   5 – Mirković  State Farm Center (11,853)
Champaign, IL
November 28, 2025*
11:30 a.m., FOX 		No. 13 vs. No. 5 UConn
SentinelOne Showdown 		L 61–74  6–2
  25 – Boswell   10 – T. Ivišić   3 – Boswell  Madison Square Garden (16,154)
New York City, NY
December 6, 2025*
7:00 p.m., ESPN 		No. 14 vs. No. 13 Tennessee
Music City Madness 		W 75–62  7–2
  16 – Tied   8 – Wagler   5 – Wagler  Bridgestone Arena (16,157)
Nashville, TN
December 9, 2025
6:30 p.m., NBCSN/Peacock 		No. 13 at Ohio State W 88–80  8–2
(1–0) 		 23 – Wagler   9 – Mirković   5 – Wagler  Value City Arena (9,974)
Columbus, OH
December 13, 2025
3:00 p.m., NBCSN/Peacock 		No. 13 No. 23 Nebraska L 80–83  8–3
(1–1) 		 20 – Boswell   10 – Stojaković   10 – Wagler  State Farm Center (15,266)
Champaign, IL
December 22, 2025*
7:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 20 vs. Missouri
Braggin' Rights 		W 91–48  9–3
  22 – Wagler   11 – Z. Ivišić   5 – Mirković  Enterprise Center (18,505)
St. Louis, MO
December 29, 2025*
2:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 20 Southern W 90–55  10–3
  15 – Davis   7 – Tied   10 – Wagler  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
January 3, 2026
6:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 20 at Penn State W 73–65  11–3
(2–1) 		 18 – Boswell   10 – Tied   3 – Tied  Palestra (4,686)
Philadelphia, PA
January 8, 2026
7:30 p.m., BTN 		No. 16 Rutgers W 81–55  12–3
(3–1) 		 17 – Wagler   8 – Stojaković   5 – Boswell  State Farm Center (13,190)
Champaign, IL
January 11, 2026
11:00 a.m., FOX 		No. 16 at No. 19 Iowa
Rivalry 		W 75–69  13–3
(4–1) 		 19 – Wagler   12 – Mirković   5 – Mirković  Carver–Hawkeye Arena (13,559)
Iowa City, IA
January 14, 2026
7:30 p.m., BTN 		No. 13 at Northwestern
Rivalry 		W 79–68  14–3
(5–1) 		 22 – Wagler   7 – T. Ivišić   6 – Boswell  Welsh-Ryan Arena (7,039)
Evanston, IL
January 17, 2026
11:00 a.m., BTN 		No. 13 Minnesota W 77–67  15–3
(6–1) 		 18 – Z. Ivišić   9 – Z. Ivišić   5 – Wagler  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
January 21, 2026
6:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 11 Maryland W 89–70  16–3
(7–1) 		 30 – Stojaković   9 – Tied   8 – Wagler  State Farm Center (15,201)
Champaign, IL
January 24, 2026
2:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 11 at No. 4 Purdue W 88–82  17–3
(8–1) 		 46 – Wagler   8 – Tied   4 – Wagler  Mackey Arena (14,876)
West Lafayette, IN
January 29, 2026
8:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 9 Washington W 75–66  18–3
(9–1) 		 22 – Wagler   6 – Tied   8 – Wagler  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
February 1, 2026
3:00 p.m., FS1 		No. 9 at No. 5 Nebraska W 78–69  19–3
(10–1) 		 28 – Wagler   8 – Tied   5 – Wagler  Pinnacle Bank Arena (15,513)
Lincoln, NE
February 4, 2026
8:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 5 Northwestern
Rivalry 		W 84–44  20–3
(11–1) 		 17 – Stojaković   12 – T. Ivišić   5 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
February 7, 2026
7:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 5 at No. 10 Michigan State L 82–85 OT 20–4
(11–2) 		 18 – Mirković   8 – Z. Ivišić   6 – Mirković  Breslin Center (14,797)
East Lansing, MI
February 10, 2026
7:00 p.m., NBCSN/Peacock 		No. 8 Wisconsin L 90–92 OT 20–5
(11–3) 		 34 – Wagler   11 – T. Ivišić   7 – Wagler  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
February 15, 2026
12:00 p.m., CBS 		No. 8 Indiana
Rivalry 		W 71–51  21–5
(12–3) 		 25 – Mirković   8 – Humrichous   3 – Tied  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
February 18, 2026
9:00 p.m., BTN 		No. 10 at USC W 101–65  22–5
(13–3) 		 22 – Stojaković   7 – Davis   8 – Boswell  Galen Center (7,327)
Los Angeles, CA
February 21, 2026
7:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 10 at UCLA L 94–95 OT 22–6
(13–4) 		 19 – Wagler   8 – Wagler   6 – Wagler  Pauley Pavilion (10,036)
Los Angeles, CA
February 27, 2026
7:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 10 No. 3 Michigan L 70–84  22–7
(13–5) 		 23 – Wagler   10 – Mirković   3 – Wagler  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
March 3, 2026
8:00 p.m., NBCSN/Peacock 		No. 11 Oregon W 80–54  23–7
(14–5) 		 21 – Stojaković   12 – Stojaković   5 – Wagler  State Farm Center (15,544)
Champaign, IL
March 8, 2026
2:00 p.m., FOX 		No. 11 at Maryland W 78–72  24–7
(15–5) 		 22 – Mirković   11 – Mirković   3 – Tied  Xfinity Center (15,674)
College Park, MD
Big Ten Tournament
March 13, 2026
1:30 p.m., BTN 		(4) No. 9 vs. (5) No. 23 Wisconsin
Quarterfinal 		L 88–91 OT 24–8
  19 – Tied   7 – Tied   8 – Wagler  United Center (18,988)
Chicago, IL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Central Time.

Source:[14]

Rankings

See also: 2025–26 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre12345678910111213141516171819Final
AP171481314131820201613119581010119
Coaches1414814151318191916131110671011119

References

  1. ^ "Illini expected to hire Colgate assistant Camryn Crocker".
  2. ^ "Illini junior Ty Rodgers 'out indefinitely' with knee injury: 'There's no doubt it's tough for him'".
  3. ^ "Ty Rodgers Injury update from Illini basketball coach Brad Underwood". September 23, 2025.
  4. ^ "Underwood Adds Kruger to Fighting Illini Staff". July 9, 2025.
  5. ^ "News from Illini tip-off event: Stojakovic sidelined with knee sprain". September 3, 2025.
  6. ^ "Notebook: Ivisic tonsillectomy another hurdle to UI chemistry-building; Boswell's Greece trip with Stojakovic".
  7. ^ "Illinois basketball missing key starters for exhibition game against Illinois State". October 18, 2025.
  8. ^ "2025 Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball Transfers". ON3.com.
  9. ^ "Illini basketball gets good news regarding Serbian guard Mihailo Petrovic". October 27, 2025.
  10. ^ "Illinois' Brad Underwood Gives Latest Injury Update on Ty Rodgers".
  11. ^ Werner, Jeremy (December 15, 2025). "Signed: Illini add Croatian forward Toni Bilić to roster mid-season". Retrieved January 21, 2026.
  12. ^ Wagner, Joey (January 20, 2026). "Illini guard Kylan Boswell out for a month with broken hand: 'He'll stay engaged in every way possible'". 247sports.com.
  13. ^ Mittal, Sahil (January 31, 2026). "Jason Jakstys ruled out for season, will treat blood clot in shoulder". The Daily Illini. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  14. ^ "2025-26 Men's Basketball Schedule".
allikas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025%E2%80%9326_Illinois_Fighting_Illini_men%27s_basketball_team