Illinois' Mihailo Petrovic Earns Unexpected Praise From UConn's Dan Hurley

The Illini guard Petrovic, despite struggling immensely on paper against the Huskies, impressed Hurley at Madison Square Garden on Friday

Nov 23, 2025; Hartford, Connecticut, USA; UConn Huskies head coach Dan Hurley watches from the sideline as they take on the Bryant Bulldogs at Peoples Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-Imagn Images | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Illinois’ Mihailo Petrovic played relatively heavy minutes in his squad's loss to No. 5 UConn on Friday afternoon. In fact, his 18 minutes were more than those logged by starting guard Keaton Wagler – who got just 14 minutes of burn against the Huskies.

But in those 18 minutes, Petrovic struggled – to put it mildly. His final stat line was an eyesore: two points on 1-for-7 shooting from the field, two rebounds, two assists, three turnovers and three personal fouls.

Dan Hurley on Mihailo Petrovic: 'He's a fun player to watch'

Nov 22, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Mihailo Petrovic (77) drives to the basket during the first half against the Long Island University Sharks at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Petrovic, a 6-foot-2 Serbian guard, had his worst outing in an Illinois uniform on Saturday. (In his defense, no Illini other than Kylan Boswell turned in even a decent afternoon.) Yet despite all the mistakes and poor percentages, Petrovic proved an ability to command Illinois’ offense and repeatedly press the defense during his minutes, leaving an impression on UConn head coach Dan Hurley.

“They got a great situation with Boswell and with [Petrovic],” Hurley told the media in the aftermath of his Huskies’ 74-61 victory at Madison Square Garden. "You can play them both together. You get foul trouble with Boswell, you’ve got a guy who’s a starting-caliber point guard coming off the bench [in Petrovic].

“He’s kind of like a crafty magician with the ball out there. He’s a fun player to watch – unless you’ve got to play against him. Just the way he manipulates his on-ball defender in the ball-screen game and his change of pace and his vision."

Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Mihailo Petrovic (77) looks to drive between UConn Huskies center Eric Reibe (12) and forward Alex Karaban (11) in the second half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

There’s not a player on Illinois’ roster who can do the things Petrovic does. That change of pace Hurley points out allows Petrovic to consistently get two feet in the paint, and his vision helps ensure that he always has the opportunity to make the right decision after collapsing a defense.

Although he finished with only two dimes, Petrovic set up his teammates for excellent looks time and again on Friday. (The Illini cost him no fewer than three assists – and themselves at least eight points. Probably more.)

Petrovic is the kind of playmaker who has the ability to move defenders around like chess pieces, anticipating how they will respond before they actually do. And he understands the importance of getting paint touches and forcing a defense into rotation. after which he’s willing to make the “boring” passes that may not directly lead to an assist. Of course, he’s still quite capable of making the flashy ones, too. 

In any case, Petrovic, who was sidelined for stretches of almost two months by injuries, still lags behind defensively – notably in terms of communication and in help defense. His on-ball ability and effort is present, and given his basketball IQ, he will likely blossom into a better team defender as the season wears on.

At the very least, Petrovic figures to continue injecting life into this Illinois offense, which has quickly become a need for a stagnant scheme that has struggled against high-caliber opponents.