Analyzing Illinois Basketball's Highlights From Exhibition Win Over Cincinnati

Illinois took down Cincinnati 105-96 in an exhibition game on Saturday. It was our first look at the 2026-27 Illini against an opponent. Unfortunately, that look was no more than a peek through a cracked door.

Without a televised game, we were forced to rely on the highlights released by the program’s social media team. As always, there’s a caveat with those: they are handpicked highlights. So, they don’t show any of the shortcomings of Illini players. Still, we saw enough to come to some conclusions. Here’s what we’ve got:

5 takeaways from Illinois basketball's highlights in win over Cincinnati

Illinois guard Quentin Coleman (11) drives on a Cincinnati defender Saturday in Cincinnati. — Illinois guard Quentin Coleman (11) drives on a Cincinnati defender in the Illini's 105-96 win over the Bearcats on Saturday in Cincinnati. | University of Illinois

Quentin Coleman is the real deal

The stat line – 14 points, seven rebounds and eight assists – was impressive, but how Coleman got there was dazzling. First of all, he plays so hard. Defense, rebounding, attacking the rim – he does everything with a sense of urgency and purpose.

The most exciting part of his performance at Cincinnati, though, was his knack for facilitation. Coleman got to the rim time and again, but he didn’t force things. He hit Tomislav Ivisic twice for wide-open threes. Then he went in transition, drew a crowd and sprayed to Jake Davis for a corner three.

And, of course, his scoring can’t be overlooked. Coleman got downhill at will, sought out the contact and often finished through it (his one bully-ball bucket was not a freshman move). And how about the crossover into a step-back triple that he cashed out? The Illini have a bona fide star on their hands in Coleman.

Andrej Stojakovic can get to the rim – but can he facilitate?

OK, we get it: Stojakovic is a virtually unstoppable freight train getting to the rack. He did it a lot on Saturday: spin moves, bump-lays, baby hooks, bunnies.

That’s all great. And no one can be upset about an 8-for-15 performance from the field and 8-for-8 showing from the free-throw line en route to 24 points. At the same time, though, it would be nice to see Stojakovic be a more active passer.

He’s one of those players who never seeks to draw bodies to free up teammates. Stojakovic attracts help defenders and then plays through them – even if they outnumber him by a couple. And then, once in a while, if all else fails, he’ll kick it out.

It’s a tough balance to strike. Stojakovic is so good at getting to the rim because he puts his head down and refuses to be stopped. But given the level of shooters he has surrounding him, Stojakovic, who averaged 1.0 assists last season, should be logging more like three-ish per game just off basic drive-and-kicks.

The Illini are pushing it in transition

Feb 14, 2026; Providence, Rhode Island, USA; Providence College Friars guard Stefan Vaaks (7) dribbles during the first half of the game against the St. John’s University Red Storm at Amica Mutual Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Natalie Reid-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Will Illinois push the tempo? That was one of the key questions heading into Saturday's exhibition. The answer was a resounding "yes." Coleman went. Stojakovic went. Transfer Stefan Vaaks went. Heck, even Tomislav Ivisic went (more on that shortly). And they all did so successfully.

The Illini have the tools, and we saw that firsthand (at least in the postgame highlight reel) on Saturday. It’ll also be interesting to see how David Mirkovic fits into the fastbreak attack once he returns. Will Illinois trust Mirkovic, whose transition pushes were equally thrilling and terrifying a season ago, to initiate the break? We’ll see.

Tomislav Ivisic looks confident

Going 3-for-4 from deep had to feel good for Ivisic. But what should hearten Illini fans isn’t his output but rather the confidence with which he shot the ball. Last season, there were plenty of moments of hesitation. Ivisic, who was a stud in his first season at Illinois, just never seemed totally comfortable in 2025-26.

But if Saturday was any indication, he is now. Ivisic pulled the trigger without a second thought when he was open, shot it with confidence and cashed out. He also went to work on the low block, getting back to his patented left-hand baby hook.

Oh, and how about Point Guard Tomi? Ivisic brought the ball up the floor – because, why not? – and delivered a no-look backdoor dime to Vaaks, who finished with an and-one. This Illinois team is so dynamic.

#Illini Tomislav Ivisic grabs a board, brings the ball up the court and hits Stefan Vaaks on a back-door cut. pic.twitter.com/KHmGEPKhWT
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) October 17, 2026

Hello, Ethan Brown

Freshman Ethan Brown had himself a day on Saturday. Not only did he get the start, but Brown met the moment, registering 15 points and five rebounds on 5-for-9 shooting.

He was active on the offensive boards – he had a putback – showed off his sweet floater, knocked down some triples. And the biggie: He had zero turnovers. But although Brown can do a variety of things on the floor, shooting should be his claim to fame this year (he went 3-for-7 from deep at Cincinnati).

Brown has a compact jumper and a smooth release. He’s clearly a confident shooter. And it doesn’t hurt that he has a really quick trigger. The corner three he got up in a heartbeat over the outstretched arms of a Cincinnati big in the second half says a lot about how effective he can be as a floor spacer for the Illini in 2026-27.

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