Eligibility Status of Illinois' Mihailo Petrovic Still in Limbo: What We Know

Illinois’ key addition of the offseason was Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic, who recently received what amounted to stunning praise based on a comparison from coach Brad Underwood. A coveted prospect in the portal and a proven high-major contributor (17.9 points per game last year), Stojakovic is a known quantity.

But perhaps the Illini’s next-most significant pickup of the offseason came by way of the international market: Serbian guard Mihailo Petrovic. Obviously, Arkansas transfer Zvonimir Ivisic could play a huge role, but Petrovic’s on-ball dominance and playmaking put him in a position to hold even greater influence over Illinois’ ceiling and floor.

Mihailo Petrovic eligibility update

Mar 14, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood during the second half against the Maryland Terrapins at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | Robert Goddin-Imagn Images

That said, the Illini still haven’t been able to confirm whether Petrovic will actually don the orange and blue in 2025-26 – at least not yet.

“That’s just a process that we continue to wait on,” Underwood said at Thursday's Illinois men's basketball media day. “We have done everything. Our staff has been fabulous at handling everything. It’s a very similar situation – maybe drawn out a little bit, compared to what Tomi [Ivisic] went through a year ago. This one is a little bit longer just because of the timing of things that were completely out of our control. But we have – our compliance staff, our lawyers – have done everything that we need to do, and we’ll just wait for the NCAA to determine what that looks like.”

When will we know if Petrovic is cleared?

To offer some perspective, Tomislav Ivisic – a massive contributor for Illinois last year – wasn’t officially cleared until Oct. 31. That means the NCAA’s ruling on Petrovic may still be weeks away.

And there appears to even be some potential of the process bleeding into the regular season, considering Underwood said the situation has been “drawn out a little bit” and Illinois’ season opener is set for Nov. 3.

It's worth noting that Ivisic did suit up in the Illini’s 2024 exhibition contest against Ole Miss prior to being cleared by the NCAA. So, at the very least, Petrovic’s preseason shouldn't be hindered in the slightest, and he should be a full-go for Illinois’ exhibition with Illinois State, along with a closed-door scrimmage against Florida.

🟠 Newcomer First Look 🔵
Mihailo Petrović
Prokuplje, Serbia
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) September 11, 2025

Nevertheless, the expectation is Petrovic will be cleared (although it’s unlikely he’ll be given four years of eligibility). And the Illini will certainly need him. Projected as their lead guard, Petrovic will be counted on to push the offense in the open court, set the table in the half court, all while adding a scoring punch of his own.