Illinois' Injury-Plagued Key Contributors Are Finally Getting on Their Feet

Few teams on the national stage – and perhaps none in the Big Ten – have been battered by injuries as dramatically as Illinois. Through five games of the 2025-26 season, the Illini have already totaled 18 player games missed due to injury. Ty Rodgers and Brandon Lee have yet to play in a regular-season game. Mihailo Petrovic had been on the shelf until making his college debut Wednesday. The Alabama game was the first this season in which Illinois played all of its preseason projected starters.

The upshot for the eighth-ranked Illini, now 4-1 after dropping a bit of a heartbreaker to No. 11 Alabama on Wednesday in Chicago, is that the worst of it appears to be over. Petrovic, the team's projected lead guard, showed moments of brilliance (five assists and a made three on his only shot attempt) in a 12-minute stint against Bama, and starting center Tomislav Ivisic came off the bench to at least stretch his legs (though looked clunky and in poor condition) in 14 minutes. With Illinois set to host Long Island University on Saturday (1 p.m. CT, B1G+) at Champaign's State Farm Center, where does everyone stand – or perhaps sit – hours before tip-off?

Illinois basketball injuries and availbility for Long Island

First and foremost, Rodgers (knee) remains out. Coach Brad Underwood hasn't had much to say about Rodgers in recent weeks, which seems an indication that he isn't close to a return. After undergoing major surgery over the summer, that was more or less anticipated.

But if the Illinois pre-game availability report can be trusted at face value, the Illini have otherwise returned to full health. Almost hard to believe after weeks (and even months) of constant rubbernecking into the trainer's room to learn the latest about the team's laundry list of ailments.

That's as clean a rap sheet as the Illini have seen so far this season. All (except Ty Rodgers) in good health. pic.twitter.com/Wpu24W71Ll
— Jason Langendorf (@JasonLangendorf) November 22, 2025

What a healthy roster means for Illinois

Underwood would have been better off holding out Ivisic, and possibly even Petrovic, one more game and putting a bit more on the shoulders of healthier bodies against the Crimson Tide. But that's water under the bridge. Ivisic will have benefitted from shaking off the cobwebs, a couple of healthy practices and a bit more conditioning to ease back into the lineup. He may even start against the Sharks on Saturday.

Will Petrovic? Seems unlikely. Keaton Wagler has been more than just holding it down as Illinois' starting point guard, and Underwood seems reluctant to ask too much of Petrovic until he has very clearly put his nagging hamstring injury behind him. Still, we may see Petrovic bump his burn up to something closer to the 20-minute range against LIU.

Debuting the new threads.

🆚 Long Island
⏰ 1 p.m. CT
📍State Farm Center
📺 B1G+
🎟️ https://t.co/3Hiya5RykI pic.twitter.com/QJy42ZOeZe
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 22, 2025

And don't forget Brandon Lee. A freshman shooting guard who had an exceptional debut in Illinois' exhibition against Illinois State, Lee is seemingly back from a high ankle sprain. With numbers back on their side, the Illini don't need to take any chances pushing anyone – and, again, Underwood seems bound and determined to play things cautiously in order to ensure the roster is healthy and has time to mesh ahead of the Big Ten season. But if he is indeed ready, Lee can be expected to come off the bench for spot minutes Saturday.

The numbers and specific availabilities don't mean a great deal against LIU (or UT Rio Grande Valley on Monday), but Ivisic's post game and rim protection have been missed. Lee's defense could be an underrated piece of the puzzle over the season. And the Illini need Petrovic at the controls for as much as his body can handle to start getting comfortable with his speed and style of play, which contrasts pretty starkly to that of Wagler.