Brad Underwood Shares Andrej Stojakovic Update Ahead of Illinois at USC

Stojakovic made the trip to Los Angeles, and Underwood updated his status for the Wednesday night matchup with USC

Jan 24, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) looks to shoot a three pointer during the first half against Purdue on Jan 24, 2026, in West Lafayette, Indiana, at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Just two days ago, after Illinois wing Andrej Stojakovic was held out of his second straight game, coach Brad Underwood gave the media an update on his status. In the press conference, Underwood hinted that Stojakovic may (somewhat unexpectedly) miss even more time, despite being listed as questionable in the previous two outings.

“My biggest concern is the health of us long term,” Underwood said on Sunday. “And if that means he needs to stay at home from L.A. and that trip, and live in the hyperbaric [chamber] and get treatment, then we’ll do that. We’re not just going to throw him out there with missing 10 days, 12 days, 13 days without practice.”

Dec 6, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) celebrates the win with head coach Brad Underwood against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Stojakovic, who averages 13.7 points and 4.6 rebounds while serving as one of the Illini’s top perimeter defenders, missed games against Wisconsin and Indiana because of the high-ankle sprain he suffered in the Michigan State loss – an injury he played on for the vast majority of that contest in East Lansing.

Encouragingly, Stojakovic was seen in a photo (posted below on the program's social media account) boarding the team plane for Los Angeles on Monday. Although Underwood may have implied Stojakovic was in line to miss the West Coast road trip, it’s not exactly a shock to see him make the journey. The real question, of course, is whether he will play.

✈️ California pic.twitter.com/6fgqdvcRlt

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) February 16, 2026

Latest update on Andrej Stojakovic's status

Jan 29, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) shoots the ball during the first half against the Washington Huskies at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Underwood tends to keep injury updates vague, and even a bit contradictory, likey preferring not to show his hand to opponents. In his Tuesday pregame press conference, ahead of Illinois’ matchup with USC on Wednesday (9 p.m. CT, BTN), Underwood offered a smidgen more information on Stojakovic’s status.

“He did some stuff in practice yesterday, so he’s making some progress, and we’ll leave that as a game-time decision,” Underwood said. “Again, everything, as you guys know, with a lot of injuries is about the recovery and how they respond to that. So he’s with us, and excited about that, and we’ll see what that holds for tomorrow night.”

Stojakovic is an extremely dangerous downhill threat who adds a unique, complementary look to Illinois’ shooting-oriented offensive attack. But the Illini have missed him even more on the other end.

Although the return of guard Kylan Boswell has eased some of the defensive maladies, Stojakovic’s impact as another stellar perimeter defender – and one with more size (6-foot-7) and versatility – could be an instant game changer for Illinois.

And given USC’s loaded backcourt – Chad Baker-Mazara, Alijah Arenas and Kam Woods have all erupted for 29-plus this year – the Illini would undoubtedly prefer to have Stojakovic back sooner than later.

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