5 Things We Loved About Illinois Basketball's Win Over Penn

There was quite a bit to like from Illinois’ 112-70 win over Penn on Thursday night. But there was also a whole lot to love. Here are five things that stood out to us from the Illini’s second straight blowout win to open the 2026-27 campaign:

5 ways Illinois basketball impressed in win over Penn

Stefan Vaaks’ defensive activity

Stefan Vaaks’ reputation when he arrived in Champaign: offensive stud who plays no defense and doesn’t rebound. The first point has held true, but the latter two not so much through a few games.

On Thursday, Vaaks jumped a passing lane – and threw it down on the other end (he did just that in an exhibition game, too). He also picked a Penn player’s pocket and parlayed that into another dunk.

The Illini are dunking EVERYTHING in Champaign rn 🔥

(via @CBBonFOX) pic.twitter.com/bvK3CFaIsO
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) November 6, 2026

But it wasn’t just his two steals. Vaaks was fighting through screens, picking up at halfcourt – if not in the backcourt – and playing with all-out effort. Oh, and Vaaks, who averaged 2.5 rebounds in 31.5 minutes last year, had six rebounds in 18 minutes.

Illinois putting the Ivisic twins on Penn’s AJ Levine

Penn’s AJ Levine is a point guard. He stands 6-foot even. He also shoots 26.1 percent from deep in his career. So what did Illinois do? It put its seven-foot twin towers – whichever Ivisic twin was on the floor – on Levine.

The speedster blew past Zvonimir Ivisic on one occasion and sprayed it out to the corner to an open teammate. But aside from that, the Illini’s unique defensive twist, in which they got to keep their premier rim protector inside the paint, worked like a charm.

Levine went 0-for-3 from the field and 0-for-2 from deep. But it was less the actual adjustment and more Illinois’ clear willingness to not just think, but actually act, outside the box.

Andrej Stojakovic’s facilitation

Going to the basket, Andrej Stojakovic is an absolute load. He’s an elite slasher. He also shot 2-for-3 from deep on Thursday night against Penn – a game in which Stojakovic finished with 25 points.

But who cares? The three-point shooting is nice. But it was his four assists that truly caught our attention. Stojakovic was still driving to score, but he wasn’t forcing (as much). He was hitting cutting teammates and kicking it out to open shooters. And, for once, they weren’t if-all-else-fails passes.

Ethan Brown’s double-double

Thirteen points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. What else can the Illini ask for from their freshman guard Ethan Brown? He knocked down his shots (3-for-4 from deep), chewed up the glass and kept the ball moving.

He posted the quietest double-double imaginable. And that’s his biggest weapon: Brown doesn’t need to be the guy to be productive. He can simply take what’s there – which just happened to be a whole lot on Thursday.

Tomislav Ivisic inside

A starter going 1-for-3 en route to two points. Must have been a bad night, right? Not at all. Tomislav Ivisic was spectacular vs. Penn. He did a great job on Levine (as previously mentioned). He had three blocks and affected a lot of other shots.

And, not to be glossed over, Ivisic had seven dimes. He pushed it in transition and threw a lob to Andrej Stojakovic. He dove from two ball screens and hit a cutting Lincoln Williams on one and then his twin brother, Zvonimir, on another. Tomislav posted up, saw the double and kicked it out to Brown for a three.

Tomislav Ivisic gets creative with the underhand finish for @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/i1WQg7Pga0
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 6, 2026

He shot only two threes – both of which he missed – and scored only two points. Yet it was the best Ivisic has looked in any of Illinois’ live action this year (including the three exhibition games). The Illini seem to be figuring out how the pieces fit and firming up new roles quickly.

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