Illinois' Brad Underwood Names Surprising X-Factor in Win Over Minnesota

Battling through screens. Switching on to bigger players. Making 6-foot-7 Cade Tyson miserable for a play and nearly forcing an air ball in the paint.

Those aren't what anyone would expect to see out of 6-foot-2 Illinois point guard Mihailo Petrovic, yet that’s what stood out most about his cameo performance in the Illini's win Saturday against Minnesota. Petrovic is known for his offensive wizardry and burst with the ball in his hands, not his work as an impact defender.

Mihailo Petrovic helps lift Illinois to victory against Minnesota

Against the Golden Gophers, during a pivotal four-minute stretch to close out the first half, Petrovic was a difference-maker on both ends. Four points, three rebounds, excellent defense and a plus-minus of plus-6 in a short window to help tie up the score at 34-34 after the Illini were trailing by six when he took the floor.

Pestering defense!

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/XOtmZ6WEvs
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 17, 2026

“My hat’s off to Mihailo. We don’t win the game without him,” said Illinois coach Brad Underwood to the media in the aftermath of a 77-67 win over Minnesota. “He changed the whole outlook of the game at the end of the first half, and I thought [he] was excellent. That young man spends all day in the gym. He shoots. He works. He’s been the ultimate teammate. We don’t win it today without him. And I thought he was excellent.”

The driving layup from Mihailo and Minnesota's timeout gets SFC on their feet 😤

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— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 17, 2026

Petrovic has been stuck at the back end of Illinois’ guard rotation as a result of the emergence of freshman Keaton Wagler (and the consistent presence of veteran Kylan Boswell). But don’t get it twisted: Petrovic can hoop. And he can really create. Wagler has been steady and productive as a playmaker, and Boswell brings his own dynamic in that role. But Petrovic is the best all-around creator on this Illini team – and by a fairly wide margin.

Yet on defense – at least through the early parts of the season – Petrovic was a fish out of water. The same could be said for his efforts on the glass. But not on Saturday. Against the Gophers, he pressured ball-handlers, fought through screen after screen, played with all-out energy and even had that defensive possession against a 20-point per game scorer, in which Petrovic suffocated Tyson, who has at least five inches and dozens of pounds on the Illini guard.

“No one spends any more time in the gym working on his game than Mihailo,” Underwood said. “And it’s been a transitional period for him … and now we’re starting to see that every day. He’s competitive. He fights. He’s gained tremendous understanding defensively. My hat’s off to him. Just a terrific young man. All he does is show up every day and work and do what he’s supposed to do.”

Every coach says the exact same thing to players struggling to find the court: stay ready, wait for your opportunity and then take advantage of it. But for Petrovic – an MVP candidate in the Adriatic League who was projected to be Illinois' lead guard heading into the season – to do that while seemingly staying even-keeled behind the scenes is truly impressive.

The burst we needed. pic.twitter.com/yFbBHfdeP8
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 17, 2026

Now, with a step in the right direction defensively, Petrovic should see an uptick in his minutes in the coming games. The Illini don’t even need him to be a plus defender – although it would certainly be appreciated. As long as he can tread water on that end and as a rebounder, Illinois will be more than satisfied reaping the benefits of his dynamic playmaking ability on the other end.