Is Illinois Basketball Still Missing Morez Johnson Jr. and Tre White?

Illinois is on a tear. The Illini are playing their best basketball of the season – and perhaps the best of any team in the nation – winning 11 straight, including two top-five road wins in their past three outings. Freshman phenom Keaton Wagler has emerged as a potential All-American and legitimate Big Ten Player of the Year candidate, while the defense has reached new heights.

But it’s still difficult not to let the “what ifs” creep in. And the top “what if” remains clear: What if the Illini didn’t lose four players to the transfer portal this past offseason?

The departures of both Carey Booth and Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, for a variety of reasons, were probably the best outcomes for all parties involved. As for wing Tre White and forward Morez Johnson Jr., it's not clear if that's exactly the case. Although each is thriving elsewhere, as are the Illini without them, were their departures really win-wins?

With that in mind, let us rephrase our question: Would Illinois be even better if White and Johnson had stuck around Champaign?

Do the Illini miss Michigan's Morez Johnson Jr. and Kansas' Tre White?

Starting with White – who is hooping right now at Kansas – the answer is crystal clear: yes. The 6-foot-7 wing is averaging 14.8 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists while hitting 1.7 triples on a jaw-dropping 43.9 percent from long range.

Sharpshooter? Yes (albeit somewhat surprisingly). Elite rebounder? Check. Versatile defender? Definitely. A low-usage player who takes nothing off the table but adds tremendous value across the board, White would be a dream fit on this Illini team – which, in reality, would benefit from a player who doesn’t always need the rock in his hands to make a positive impact.

TRE THREEEEE 👌 pic.twitter.com/FXPc8ke13V
— Kansas Men’s Basketball (@KUHoops) January 31, 2026

White is perhaps the best wing rebounder in the nation, and he is now demonstrating the ability to stretch the floor – and can even facilitate at times. He would likely come off the bench for the Illini, but he would undoubtedly be the first player off it and would be a shoo-in for Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year.

Moving on to Johnson, the answer is a bit murkier. On the one hand, at Michigan, he has blossomed into one of the most productive players in college basketball. On the other hand, he’s not exactly a floor-stretching shooter, which would likely strain Illinois’ spacing. But let’s not overthink it: Illinois would love to still have Johnson in orange and blue.

Rather than five-out, the Illini offense is more predicated on three-low spacing – a player in each corner and one in the dunker spot. Johnson, were he still at Illinois, would slip easily into the dunker-spot role. Illinois’ offensive rebounding would jump from phenomenal to unfathomable, and downhill drivers Keaton Wagler, Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic would see an uptick in their assist numbers with such a gifted play finisher in Johnson serving as a drop-off option. The entire offense would (somehow) gain a few more RPMs.

Defensively, though, Illinois would be a different animal. An extremely versatile defender who can effectively guard every position on the floor, Johnson is a wonder on that end. His rim protection isn’t far behind that of Zvonimir Ivisic, and the defensive frontcourt pairing of Big Z and Johnson would be the best in the nation (think Aday Mara and Johnson at Michigan as we speak).

Just imagine an Illinois squad with Johnson and White still in the mix. That version of the Illini would immediately have a top-five defense to pair with their top-ranked offense and, in all likelihood, would be in pole position as the national championship favorite.

Unfortunately for Illinois fans, this exercise is a bit infuriating – and (mostly) unnecessary. The Illini are thriving, as are both Johnson and White (along with their respective clubs), so why not let bygones be bygones?

Well, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood deserves his hefty share of praise for the tremendous season his team is putting together, but his inability to keep budding stars in Champaign – Amani Hansberry and Jayden Epps each average 15-plus for high-major teams, not to mention other notable recent losses – has arguably proved detrimental to Illinois reaching the apex of the sport.

The counterargument: Ranked No. 5 in the AP poll and locked in a tie with Michigan for the top spot in the Big Ten at 10-1, Illinois seems to be doing just fine as is. So despite our penchant for questioning Underwood’s machinations, perhaps he’s just been one step ahead – or is just gifted enough as a coach to overcome any and all major personnel losses. Either way, we'll get our answer in due time, when the Illini face the Wolverines in late February.