Analyzing Freshman Ethan Brown's Unexpected Start in Illinois' Win at Cincinnati

The shocker of the night in Illinois’ exhibition win over Cincinnati had nothing to do with the final score or who came out on top. Instead, it was freshman Ethan Brown getting the start over standout transfer Stefan Vaaks (whom many, including us, expected to land in the Illini's starting five). Coach Brad Underwood explained the move in his postgame press conference:

Brad Underwood on Ethan Brown starting for Illinois against Cincinnati

“I started a group today – we have a chart every day [with] Superman, Iron Man, most explosions in practice,” Underwood said. “And they go up on our board in the weight room before workouts every day. And so those were [who started]."

The exceptions: Tomislav Ivisic (Illinois' most experienced performer and most dynamic big man) and Jake Davis.

"I wasn’t sure about Jake with his ankle," Underwood said. "And he’s tougher than heck, by the way. His ankle is as black and blue as you can get."

It isn't quite as dramatic as assembling the Avengers, but Underwood can still tab those players putting in the hardest work behind the scenes as his starters. Seemingly, Brown, Andrej Stojakovic and Quentin Coleman led the way in “explosions in practice. It seems Ivisic and Davis, the two longest-tenured Illini, were grandfathered in.

“Those guys were veterans," Underwood said. "But those were also the guys that were at the top of those leaderboards the most days. And I was going to reward their effort in practice.”

Is Ethan Brown going to start for Illinois in the regular season?

The question now becomes, is Vaaks still a projected starter or has Brown climbed over him on Illinois' depth chart? Considering Brown played 25 minutes and scored 15 points, snagged five rebounds, dished out two assists and committed zero turnovers, it's a fair question. (For Vaaks’ part, he had 19 points off the bench.)

“Yeah, Ethan has been really good,” Underwood said. “And the ball moves with him in. It doesn’t stick. He’s an elite shooter. I think he led us in offensive rebounding in the first half. He has a nose for the ball, and he’s very deserving.”

Brown is a very welcome surprise. Illinois needed reinforcements in the backcourt – the guard depth was one of the lone offseason questions – and Brown has already begun to calm any concerns.

But even after his gem of a performance in his first live action with the Illini, it doesn’t change the reality: Vaaks, an ultra-gifted scorer and high-level playmaker, needs to be in the starting lineup. And it’s not as though Coleman – 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists – is coming out of the first five.

FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS: I'll post way more later, but here's about 95 seconds to tide you over.

Stojakovic, Brown looked good.

Non-breaking news: #Illini can shoot it pic.twitter.com/MYkHFbtYYZ
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) October 17, 2026

Sure, a lineup with Brown has clear advantages. He doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective (as Vaaks does). And he’s a better connector than Vaaks. Plus, Vaaks could give the Illini an exceptional scoring punch off the bench (think Stojakovic last season).

But Illinois needs Vaaks’ size and playmaking in its starting lineup. He is more experienced and, at least for now, has more overall ability than Brown. And that’s not to take anything away from Brown, who appears poised to be one of the top first-year players in the Big Ten. Moral of the story: The Illini should – and probably will – be starting Vaaks.

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