Illinois Was Likely Without Its Top Player in Win vs. Texas Tech: What It Means

A year ago, a Tomislav Ivisic-less Illinois squad was, for lack of a better phrase, feeble. Although guard Kasparas Jakucionis was widely considered the Illini’s “best” player, Ivisic probably had the most influence on the team in terms of wins and losses.

In 2025-26, the expectation for Illinois was the same – and perhaps to an even larger extent: No single Illini player would have a larger impact on determining the final score than Ivisic. Through three games, there’s absolutely no reason to believe that doesn’t remain the truth.

Illinois knocks off Texas Tech despite absence of Tomislav Ivisic

Yet even without Ivisic in action, No. 14 Illinois (3-0) managed to topple No. 11 Texas Tech (2-1) in a thriller on Tuesday night at the State Farm Center. Here’s why the result was so important moving forward:

Illinois has three bona fide stars

To clarify, there’s an argument to be made for a handful of Illini to claim the “most influential” title. Senior guard Kylan Boswell has made an outstanding case for earning that label through a trio of outings, while Andrej Stojakovic put himself into the thick of that race with his performance against Texas Tech.

Illinois transfer Andrej Stojakovic went off in a win over No. 11 Texas Tech:

23 PTS | 11-16 FG | 3 STL | 3 REB | 26 MINS pic.twitter.com/YOVN76r9Yx
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 12, 2025

But although the answer likely still remains Ivisic – whose combination of shooting, passing, finishing around the rim and defensive ability, at 7-foot-1, is uniquely potent – it doesn’t actually matter.

At the end of the day, the Illini have three players who would very likely be the best individual on 90 percent of high-major programs in the country – and they're likely the lone team in the nation with the players to be able to say that.

The “best” player on Illinois – however one decides to quantify that – is going to change on a night-to-night basis, and that status won’t even be limited only to Ivisic, Boswell or Stojakovic.

Illinois’ ceiling continues to be elevated

Consider this: Texas Tech shot 53.1 percent from the field on Tuesday night, and its go-to option – JT Toppin – finished with 35 points. Illinois, meanwhile, shot just 7-for-22 (31.8 percent) from long distance and missed every three it took in the second half, yet still escaped with a four-point win.

(To offer some perspective: in 2024-25, the Illini went 6-11 in games they shot below 32 percent from deep and beat just one ranked team when they shot under that figure.)

Oh, and Illinois didn’t have Tomislav Ivisic on Tuesday – although it did have his twin brother, Zvonimir, who put together a stellar outing of his own. Also, did we mention that Mihailo Petrovic, the Illini’s projected lead guard this season, hasn’t even played a game yet? Not to mention injured freshman Brandon Lee, who is expected to contribute during the season. And just imagine if Illinois gets Ty Rodgers back at some point.

Block and bucket for Zvonimir Ivisic 🔥@IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/GAwoMGxhQ1
— FOX College Hoops (@CBBonFOX) November 12, 2025

The ceiling for this Illini team, as Illinois on SI pointed out in the preseason, is the highest since the 2004-05 national championship runner-up squad. It’s not at all an overreaction to say an NCAA Tournament title is within reach for this club – if all the pieces fall into place.