Andrej Stojakovic’s Two-Way Impact Lifted Illinois to the Final Four

Illinois is headed back to the Final Four for the first time since 2005, but early in Saturday's 71-59 Elite Eight win over Iowa, it looked like the wait for the Illini was likely to last at least a little longer.

The Hawkeyes jumped out to a 12-2 lead, Bennett Stirtz was cooking, and for a few uneasy minutes, the Illini looked like a team still trying to settle into the biggest game of its season. Stirtz had five points and an assist during that opening burst, and Illinois badly needed someone to settle things down before the whole season started to slip away.

Enter Andrej Stojakovic.

Almost immediately, Stojakovic gave Illinois exactly what it was missing: a pulse. He checked in, got to work and started putting points on the board before Iowa could figure out what happened. Two quick buckets helped settle the game, and by halftime he had 10 points and, more importantly, had helped change the geometry of the game. Illinois did not need a superhero cape in that moment. It just needed somebody to stop the bleeding, and Stojakovic came in with the basketball version of a fire extinguisher.

That has quietly become one of his biggest strengths this March. Everyone paying attention knows Illinois has stars. Everyone knows Keaton Wagler is going to get headlines, and rightfully so. But Stojakovic, coming off the bench in a supporting role, has become the kind of player who changes games without always announcing it with neon lights.

He can score when Illinois needs a bucket, slash into the lane when the offense gets stuck and, in games like this one, bring a level of poise that keeps things from spinning out of control. He finished with 17 points off the bench and was outstanding offensively.

TOUGH bucket Andrej Stojakovic 🪣#MarchMadness @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/k3BkD8w6x2
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 28, 2026

And then there was the other end of the floor.

As important as Stojakovic’s early scoring was, his work on Stirtz may have counted more. To be clear, Stirtz was terrific. Great players are still going to make plays, and Stirtz did. But nothing came easy once Illinois settled in, and Stojakovic deserves a lot of credit for that. He made Stirtz work for everything. Every possession was a tiny war.

That kind of defense doesn't always show up neatly in a box score, but it shows up in the game. It shows up in the legs, in the decisions, in how much tougher stars have to work just to get to their usual spots.

After the game, Stirtz admitted, “Oh yeah, I was tired. I think more mentally – how many games it was.”

Bennett Stirtz finally admits it.

“Oh yeah, I was tired. I think more, mentally — how many games it was.” https://t.co/PlVyhT5ujD pic.twitter.com/hGKpttVGfr
— Eliot Clough (@EliotClough) March 29, 2026

Now, Stirtz didn't point at Stojakovic and say, “That guy ruined my evening.” But the timing was hard to ignore. Stirtz looked sharp early, Stojakovic entered, and suddenly every trip became a trek. Maybe it was the accumulated miles of March. Maybe it was the pressure of the moment. Maybe having Stojakovic draped all over him for long stretches didn't exactly feel like a spa day.

Probably a combination of all three.

But that's why the performance was so important – and maybe beyond just one game. Illinois didn't just get points from Stojakovic. It got control. It got steadiness. It got two-way impact in a game that could have slipped away early. And as this month has unfolded, that has become his story. March is about stars, yes, but it's also about the players who swing games with timing and toughness.

Against Iowa, Stojakovic gave Illinois exactly what it needed. He stopped the early spiral, gave the offense life and made one of the best guards in the country earn every single thing he got. In March, those kinds of performances are often what separate good teams from those still playing in the season’s final week.