Why Zvonimir Ivisic Is Illinois Basketball's X-Factor in 2026-27

If Ivisic improves incrementally in just two areas, the Illini could become a near-unstoppable college basketball juggernaut

Mar 8, 2026; College Park, Maryland, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Zvonimir Ivisic (44) reacts after making a basket during the first half against the Maryland Terrapins at Xfinity Center. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

In his first campaign at Illinois, big man Zvonimir Ivisic missed just 12 two-pointers all season. Think about that for a second. He went 59-for-71 (83.1 percent) inside the arc in 2025-26. Defensively, Big Z registered a gaudy 1.9 blocks per game as a reserve (that's 4.5 per 40 minutes).

His advanced numbers were spectacular: an offensive box plus/minus of 3.40 and a defensive box plus/minus of 4.41, per EvanMiya. Ivisic’s overall 7.81 was the second-best box plus/minus on the Illini (behind Keaton Wagler's 9.84), and good for No. 53 in the country.

Considering Wagler is now a member of the Los Angeles Clippers, Ivisic is, statistically speaking, the Illini returner with the most significant on-court impact. The metrics can't quantify everything, obviously, but Ivisic is clearly a massive plus for Illinois in his minutes on the floor. 

How Zvonimir Ivisic can have a greater impact in 2026-27

Jan 29, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) celebrates a win against the Washington Huskies at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Last year, Illinois connected on 391 threes, the largest total in the Brad Underwood era – and by a fairly wide margin. As a squad, the Illini hit 34.5 percent of their threes. Meanwhile, Ivisic connected on only 28 three-pointers on the season – at a clip of just 28.0 percent.

Despite that figure, Ivisic was still incredibly productive on the offensive end, posting that aforementioned offensive box plus/minus of 3.40 in 2025-26. The (very) encouraging news: Big Z came to Champaign after two college seasons (at Kentucky and then Arkansas) with a career three-point percentage of 37.6.

There’s absolutely no reason to expect that Ivisic's beyond-the-arc shooting won't bounce back next season. Now imagine if he levels back out at 37 percent (or in that vicinity) while still offering his usual play-finishing ability as a lob threat and dump-off option. And let’s not forget his ability to clean up on the offensive glass.

On defense – which is Ivisic’s true calling card – there isn’t much more the Illini could ask of him from a rim-protection standpoint. And even in the few scenarios in which Big Z gets stuck on an island with a guard, he holds up fairly well.

But he can focus on one area of improvement: the defensive boards. 3.5 per game in 17.2 minutes isn’t abysmal, but Big Z has more in the tank. At 7-foot-2, and with otherworldly length and rare spring for his size, Ivisic should be a game-changing rebounder.

And after the Illini posted the No. 27 defensive rebounding percentage in the nation last year – only decent given that they were the tallest squad in the country – they could certainly use the boost from Ivisic in that department.

Ivisic is already one of the most productive (in his minutes) returning players in the country. So if he can push his three-point percentage north of 35 percent – a feasible task – and put in extra work on the defensive glass, the Illini will have one of the most valuable players in the country … coming off the bench.