Which Illinois Basketball Players We Expect to Return in 2026-27

Illinois' 2025-26 season was an unqualified success, filled with explosive offense, an engaging cast of characters and the program's first Final Four run since 2005. Coach Brad Underwood built a club featuring NBA prospects, international additions and veteran transfers – which was a key ingredient in the winning mix, but also comes with a potential downside.

A loaded roster and a tight rotation aren't necessarily the best combination to yield personnel retention, and even with several Illini players out of eligibility and vacancies in the lineup set to open, not every Illini who can come back next season necessarily will. (For the record, Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous and AJ Redd have played their last college basketball games.)

Below, we examine every Illinois player's individual situation and project the probability of their return in 2026-27:

Toni Bilic

Remember him? It's unlikely that Bilic would have left Croatia and a burgeoning career in the Premier League to join the Illini at midseason, practice, build up his body and move on to another college program. He will get a chance to play next season, and could even develop into a valuable rotation player.

Likelihood of return: 98 percent

Jake Davis

Davis has not only become the poster boy for Underwood's #EverydayGuys ethos in just two seasons in Champaign – he has become a part of the fabric of Illini basketball. It seems almost unfathomable that he might look elsewhere, especially after he earned a starting role and his coach's undying appreciation this past season.

Likelihood of return: 95 percent

I asked #Illini Jake Davis what makes him confident Illinois will get back to this place.

"We have a fight. We know what it's like to be here. Nobody else is going to have a desire and a want-to more than we do next year." pic.twitter.com/MRBp4Z0PMh
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) April 5, 2026

Blake Fagbemi

Illinois was Fagbemi's only Division I offer coming out of high school last year, and he is a suburban Chicago guy who – one assumes – relishes being a member of the program of the state's flagship school (especially after an emotional Final Four run). There's always a chance he'll choose a bigger role at a smaller program, but the guess here is that he'll want to come back for more top competition and the promise of another deep tournament run.

Likelihood of return: 90 percent

Tomislav Ivisic

Real talk: Ivisic didn't have the kind of season that boosted his NBA prospects. In retrospect, he wasn't going to get a chance to show his best with both Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic blowing up as freshman. That could change if Tomi returns for his senior season in Champaign – which surely beats a long-shot opportunity in the pros as a second-round pick or free-agent signing.

Likelihood of return: 85 percent

Zvonimir Ivisic

Big Z may not have take the statistical leap forward he and others may have hoped for in his first year at Illinois, but he was a key cog (especially as a rim protector) in a Final Four rotation, arguably improved throughout the season and seemed to enjoy the heck out of his teammates and playing with his twin brother. Particularly if Tomi returns for 2026-27, Zvonimir would seem likely to follow.

Likelihood of return: 85 percent

Asked Zvonimir and Tomislav Ivisic what this season together meant to them: pic.twitter.com/0xzg52XuXx
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) April 5, 2026

Jason Jakstys

With the departure of Humrichous – and at least some uncertainty about the Ivisic twins' plans – Jakstys could inherit a chunky role next season. Without a perimeter shot, he isn't a perfect fit in Underwood's offense, but Jakstys has other tools: His length will no doubt be valued, and (in limited minutes), he had Illinois' best rebounding rate last season. Unless he decides he wants a fresh start after injuring his shoulder and missing half the season after surgery, Jakstys seems to be set up nicely in Champaign.

Likelihood of return: 90 percent

Brandon Lee

Lee showed excellent promise as a freshman, even though he rarely played after
the close of the non-conference season. Some of that was injury-related, some of it had to do with a lack of experience, and some could be blamed on a simple numbers game – the Illini had a ton of talent on the roster. Trouble is, that's going to be the case again next season, with incoming freshmen Quentin Coleman and Lucas Morillo on the way, plus the potential healthy return of Rodgers. Lee has a bright future, but he may envision a cleaner path to it elsewhere.

Likelihood of return: 70 percent

David Mirkovic

Never say never, but Mirkovic seems to be the Illini rotation player most likely to return in 2026-27. He is coming off a Big Ten All-Freshman campaign in which he looked like something resembling the perfect Underwood big man prototype, yet his game and athletic profile are much better suited to the college game than the pros. If he sticks around Champaign, Mirkovic likely becomes the go-to option, an All-Conference performer and one of the more beloved figures around the program in some time.

David Mirkovic shining on both ends 🔦#MarchMadness @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/Jr7p5HZExG
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) April 4, 2026

Likelihood of return: 96 percent

Mihailo Petrovic

Petrovic is coming off a trying season – one marked by injury, sub-optimal performance and plain dumb luck. Wagler's emergence sank Petrovic's opportunity for a starting role, and his own shortcomings as a defender and three-point shooter limited his minutes off the bench more than anyone had anticipated in the preseason. He was a trooper throughout the year, and he's a dazzling ball-handler and playmaker, but either Petrovic or Underwood (or both) may decide that he isn't the fit at Illinois all had hoped.

Likelihood of return: 50 percent

Ty Rodgers

If Rodgers has stuck around Champaign this long, through all his own personal travails, there's a very good chance he isn't going anywhere. If he can finally get healthy and put his knee injury behind him, there will be a place in Underwood's offense, certainly his defense and rotation for Rodgers next season. In any case, as far as fans are concerned, he's an Illini for life.

Likelihood of return: 85 percent

Andrej Stojakovic

Stojakovic supposedly threw his lot in with Underwood and the Illini to seek out a winning environment and challenge himself to become a complete player. That mission remains incomplete, but Stojakovic made enough progress on both counts – and seemed to have enough fun along the way – that a return seems probable. Still, Illinois was his third school in three years, so you can never fully count out the draw of the portal.

Likelihood of return: 80 percent

#Illini Andrej Stojakovic doesn't mind coming off the bench. His play in VCU, Houston and Iowa led Illinois to its first Final Four since 2005.

Hear his answer.

Duke or UConn up next pic.twitter.com/iYoDXerVgI
— Carson Gourdie (@GourdieReport) March 29, 2026

Keaton Wagler

Illini Nation can dream, right? Wagler is projected as a top-five NBA Draft pick, and it's incredibly rare for a pro prospect to turn away from that situation to return to campus. Then again, Wagler is – as we've seen – one of one, and maybe he'll decide to run it back out of a sense of loyalty for the belief the program showed in him. Realistically, though, he has very likely played his last game in an Illinois uniform.

Likelihood of return: 2 percent