Illinois' Tomislav Ivisic Battled Through Illness at Michigan State

The Illini center wasn't at his best but nevertheless came through on Sunday despite suffering from strep throat
Jan 19, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA;  Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) dunks the ball during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images
Jan 19, 2025; East Lansing, Michigan, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) dunks the ball during the first half against the Michigan State Spartans at Jack Breslin Student Events Center. Mandatory Credit: Dale Young-Imagn Images / Dale Young-Imagn Images

The typical observer of Sunday's Illinois-Michigan State matchup might have watched Illini sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic trying to find his place in the offense, struggling a bit with his shot and dealing with diminished returns against similarly sized competition.

But what wasn't seen – and what wasn't known to anyone outside the program until after the Illini's 80-78 loss to the Spartans – was that Ivisic was playing sick. Illinois coach Brad Underwood revealed in his postgame press conference that Ivisic played Sunday despite suffering from a particularly nasty bout of strep throat.

"I thought, Tomi – I do want to mention – gutted it up," Underwood said. "I thought he was really good. He's got strep throat. He's been on antibiotics for three days. Just the opportunity to play ... [he] just feels awful."

Ivisic broke out of a recent lull with a big game at Indiana (17 points, 11 rebounds and four assists), and at first glance, his output against Michigan State might appear to have been a backslide. He finished with 13 points and only four rebounds Sunday in East Lansing.

But under the circumstances, Ivisic was a monster against MSU. He huffed his way through 29 minutes – more than in all but one other game since Wisconsin a month ago – shot it effectively inside the arc and deftly quarterbacked the offense at times (five assists).

If Ivisic seemed off or appeared to lack lift against the Spartans – he had a subpar rebounding day, went 1-for-6 on threes and had no trips to the free-throw line – now you know why.

"His tonsils looked like ... I mean, they're gross," Underwood said of Ivisic. "And so he couldn't breathe. He woke up this morning. he's like, 'I can't breathe.'

"The value Tomi gives us offensively is really hard to replace. You know, all those cuts late were his passing. And when you can shoot it like Tomi, [opponents] have to push up and guard him. And you know, unfortunately – what, Tomi made four or five the other night in Indiana – when you're sick, you just feel like mush. And he did – but his passing was spot on."

Recovery-time estimates for strep throat vary from 3-5 days to a week or longer, depending on your source, but antibiotics can speed up the process significantly. With more than four full days between Illinois' Sunday morning game at MSU and Thursday's 8 p.m. CT tip-off against Maryland, Ivisic should be mostly, if not fully, himself by the Illini's next game.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Michigan State Outlasts Illinois Basketball in Big Ten Slugfest

Illinois Coach Brad Underwood Won't Blame Refs for Michigan State Loss

Illinois Basketball's Loss to Michigan State Ignites Social Media


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Jason Langendorf
JASON LANGENDORF

Jason Langendorf has covered Illinois basketball, football and more for Illinois on SI since October 2024, and has covered Illini sports – among other subjects – for 30 years. A veteran of ESPN and Sporting News, he has published work in The Guardian, Vice, Chicago Sun-Times and many other outlets. He is currently also the U.S. editor at BoxingScene and a judge for the annual BWAA writing awards. He can be followed and reached on X and Bluesky @JasonLangendorf.