Grading Every Illinois Basketball Player From the 2025-26 Final Four Season

With the 2025-26 season – a campaign that will go down as one of the best in program history – officially in the books for Illinois, it’s only right to zoom out and take a look back. From a team perspective, considering the Illini reached their first Final Four in 21 years, there wasn’t much else the Illinois faithful could ask for (although Illini Nation surely wouldn’t have been opposed to two more wins).

From an individual standpoint, there was one historic campaign – that of freshman Keaton Wagler – and a handful of excellent ones. Without further ado: the Illinois on SI Illini player grades for the 2025-26 season (rotational players only):

Grading every Illinois starter’s 2025-26 season

Keaton Wagler: A+

From an individual accolades perspective, Wagler did it all: All-Big Ten, All-American, Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year. Naturally, his numbers were spectacular: 17.9 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game.

Wagler could not have put together a better 2025-26 season. He was the primary creator on a loaded Illini roster and was the key reason Illinois owned the top-rated offense (per KenPom) for the majority of the year. And by the end of the campaign, he had even blossomed into a valuable defender.

Kylan Boswell: B

Fighting through a midseason injury, Kylan Boswell quickly worked himself back into the lineup and proceeded to give the Illini everything – and then some. A man on a mission (especially in the NCAA Tournament), Boswell, a Champaign native, poured his heart out on the floor. Despite being listed at 6-foot-2 (he might not be a hair over 6-foot), Boswell averaged 4.0 rebounds and wound up being Illinois’ most versatile defender (earning All-Big Ten Defensive Team honors).

On the other end, though, while Boswell was a playmaker for his squad (his 3.0 assists per game ranked second on the team), he struggled as a shot-maker, shooting 44.4 percent from the field and just 30.7 percent from long range.

Jake Davis: A

Although Jake Davis isn’t a jump-out-of-the-gym athlete or a wide-bodied presence, the 6-foot-6 wing maximized his abilities to the fullest extent on defense – which is all anyone can ask for. Ultimately, with his second-to-none attention to detail, top-notch communication and relentless effort, he wound up posting a defensive box plus/minus of plus-3.1. (For some perspective, that’s the same exact number Boswell put up.)

Offensively, he played his role to a tee: 54 made threes on 40.6 percent shooting. At times he even showed off some playmaking after cutting to the rack (notably in the Michigan State game). Davis also became an underrated offensive rebounder for the Illini.

David Mirkovic: A

If it wasn’t for Wagler’s historic freshman year, all the attention would be on fellow Illinois freshman David Mirkovic. Putting up averages of 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists, Mirkovic was the do-it-all player for Illinois.

He could operate and make plays out of the post, bring up the ball or knock it down from long range (he made 57 on 37.5 percent shooting). One of the most versatile players in the Big Ten as a freshman, Mirkovic – who also improved drastically on the defensive end as the season progressed – has an extremely bright future.

Tomislav Ivisic: B-

Tomislav Ivisic was supposed to be the guy in the 2025-26 season for Illinois. With a sweet long-range stroke, an excellent back-to-the-basket game and great playmaking on the low block and the high-post, Ivisic was expected to essentially be the hub of the Illini offense. Then Wagler (and Mirkovic) showed up.

As a result, it felt as though Ivisic never truly found his niche on this squad. And a late-season shooting slump didn’t help (he finished the year at 31.3 percent from beyond the arc). But at different points throughout the year, Ivisic reminded us he’s still that same player. He was just unable to comfortably carve out his specific role with this unit.

Grading every Illinois key reserve’s season

Andrej Stojakovic: B+

The crown jewel of Illinois’ offseason haul, Andrej Stojakovic walked into Champaign with lofty expectations – which he mostly met. The second-leading scorer for the Illini, Stojakovic put up 13.5 points per game, living off his slashing ability and sweet midrange game. During the season, though, he was prone to disappearing for stretches of games. Still, he was superb when it mattered most – in the NCAA Tournament.

Defensively, he also made strides throughout the year, developing into Illinois’ “1B” defender as coach Brad Underwood dubbed it. Still, his long-distance shooting (just 24.4 percent) left much to be desired.

Ben Humrichous: A

Where do we start with Ben Humrichous? Speaking of defensive growth, how a player can transform from a truly abysmal defender to one of the best defenders in college basketball – which, don’t get it twisted, he was – is simply baffling. Humrichous guarded point guards, centers and everything in between. He ran shooters off the three-point line, yet always kept them in front. Humrichous walled up and didn’t just contest shots – but often sent them back. As a rebounder, Humrichous was a valuable asset, as well.

On offense, he did what he was on the floor to do: hit shots. The 6-foot-9 forward stretched the floor for the Illini, hitting 57 threes at a healthy clip of 36.1 percent. Although he never became the premier sharpshooter Illinois desired, his growth in other facets made him an irreplaceable piece of the puzzle.

Zvonimir Ivisic: B-

There was defensive growth up and down the roster for the Illini, but Zvonimir Ivisic didn’t need any more growth on that end. An absolute menace of a rim protector, Big Z sent back 1.9 shots per game despite playing just 17.2 minutes per outing. He even managed his rare switches on to guards and walled up well in isolation situations.

On the other side of the floor, he was a capable play-finisher – often on lobs – and could be a beast on the offensive boards at times. But his calling card on that end – shooting – came up short in the 2025-26 campaign, as Big Z went just 28-for-100 from deep.