New Injury Details for Illinois Point Guard Mihailo Petrovic

Illini coach Brad Underwood said Petrovic's hamstring woes are ongoing and remained vague on his timeline

Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

After all the eligibility troubles finally getting cleared up for Illinois’ Mihailo Petrovic, the Serbian guard still won’t be able to take the court for the Illini's season opener against Jackson State on Monday night (7:30 p.m. CT, BTN).

On Saturday, we learned from CBS’ Jon Rothstein that Petrovic would be held out of the contest – which was a bit unexpected considering Petrovic suited up in Illinois’ scrimmage against Florida over a week ago.

Brad Underwood on Mihailo Petrovic's injury

Illinois head basketball coach Brad Underwood is shown during the first half of their second round NCAA men’ s basketball tournament game against Kentucky Sunday, March 23, 2025 at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. | Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

On Sunday, though, Illinois coach Brad Underwood spoke to the media at a press conference, updating the status of his expected lead guard – and explaining why he would miss Monday's game:

“Mihailo will be out. Will not play. Literally, like the third time he touched the ball in the Florida scrimmage, re-aggravated his hamstring," Underwood said. "We need to get that healthy."

As for any expected timetable for Petrovic’s return, Underwood was adamant the Illini wouldn’t rush and would wait until the 6-foot-2 guard is fully ready to go. 

“When it’s good, when he can go," Underwood said. "When you’re a speed based player – and he is – having a lower-extremity problem is not something we want to take away from him. It was aggravated. We thought we had it in a good place and then, like I said, a couple possessions [into the Florida scrimmage], it wasn’t. So we’ve got to get him 100 percent and get that hamstring right so he can do what he does best and that’s play with tremendous speed.”

As Underwood pointed out, Petrovic’s game is predicated on playing with speed. Both in the halfcourt as a downhill player and when pushing the tempo in the open court, Petrovic is a player who relies on his burst and ability to win footraces on the floor to make an impact.

Given that the Illini operated without Petrovic for much of the summer, didn’t have him in their exhibition game against Illinois State and evidently had him in a very limited capacity against Florida, they should be accustomed to operating without him for now.

It could be argued that Illinois is well-prepared and, at least for now, has more refined chemistry without Petrovic on the floor. Of course, his absence is a net loss over the long haul, and the Illini surely want him back as soon as possible to give him ample time to mesh with his teammates ahead of Big Ten play.