3 Burning Questions for Illinois at Purdue: Can Andrej Stojakovic Stay Hot?

No. 11 Illinois (16-3, 7-1 Big Ten) is set to meet No. 4 Purdue (17-2, 7-1 Big Ten) on Saturday afternoon (2 p.m. CT, FOX) in West Lafayette, Indiana, and the event is roughly as big as anyone could have hoped or expected. The Illini, currently riding an eight-game win streak, will have their forward momentum put to the ultimate test, while the Boilermakers – fresh off a loss to UCLA – will attempt to get back on the right side of the win column in their Mackey Arena home, typically a house of horrors for visitors.

Here are three key questions that may determine the outcome:

Illinois at Purdue: Burning questions that could decide the winner

Jan 17, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Who wins the battle of the boards?

A year ago, Purdue ranked among the bottom third of Big Ten teams in rebounding. Then coach Matt Painter went out and snagged Oscar Cluff, the top rebounder in the transfer portal. Problem solved.

And Cluff's arrival seems to have had an amplifying effect: Trey Kaufman-Renn’s rebounding numbers have surged from 6.5 per game in 2024-25 to 8.9 this year. In turn, the Boilermakers’ rebounding margin per game has swelled to an excellent plus-8.4.

Even so, Purdue isn’t Illinois on the glass. The Illini rank ninth in the country with an average margin of plus-10.8 on the glass. In Champaign, hitting the boards isn’t a choice – it’s a lifestyle.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood puts a heavy emphasis on maintaining the glass, and few do it better than the Illini. Whichever club ultimately controls the board – especially the larger the margin grows – likely waltzes out of Mackey Arena with Big Ten win No. 8.

How can Purdue deal with Illinois’ gravity-pulling bigs?

Jan 14, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers center Oscar Cluff (45) defends against Iowa Hawkeyes forward Cam Manyawu (3) during the second half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

Both Kaufman-Renn and Cluff are the exact opposite of light on their feet. Neither Boilermaker comes close to rating as an elite rim protector (opponents shoot 51.7 percent on twos vs. Purdue), but they are both at their best in the paint on defense.

Unfortunately for them and Purdue, neither should expect to spend much time defending the pain Saturday afternoon. Illinois’ big men – Tomislav Ivisic, Zvonimir Ivisic and David Mirkovic – all shoot above 36 percent from deep, and each sink at least one per game.

Tomislav Ivisic for 3️⃣ 👏 @IlliniMBB

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— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 22, 2026

With the Illini’s five-out scheme, the lane should be as open as a 24-hour McDonald’s drive-thru. That means Andrej Stojakovic could be in for quite a day. Which brings us to our final question …

Can Andrej Stojakovic sustain his hot hand?

Stojakovic detonated for a season-high 30 points against Maryland on Wednesday, taking advantage of his high-usage rate in Kylan Boswell’s absence. He was most impressive from beyond the arc, knocking down four triples (he had hit only 11 on the season going into the game). His hot shooting opened up driving lanes for him to get to the rim, which is where he made a living in the second half.

Andrej Stojakovic had his best game of the season:

30 PTS
9 REBS
9-18 FG
4-7 3PT

🔥🔥@IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/7L2lmViRyj
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) January 22, 2026

The lack of help at the rack will make Stojakovic’s life easier against Purdue, but his afternoon ultimately will hinge on his success from long range. All he needs is for one to go down and for the Boilermakers to respect his jumper, and then the downhill opportunities will present themselves in spades.

But if he fails to threaten at all from deep, Stojakovic can be held in check, as his defender can play off and keep him in front, forcing him into contested, ill-advised twos – which he too often is willing to settle on. That could be all the margin Painter and the Boilers need to take advantage.