Arkansas' Zvonimir Ivisic Hits Transfer Portal – Will He Join Tomislav at Illinois?

Might Arkansas' Zvonimir, who entered the transfer portal Monday, decide to form a Twin Towers in Champaign?

Mar 4, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach John Calipari pulls forward Zvonimir Ivisic (44) off the court against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Memorial Gymnasium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

In a media session during Illinois' NCAA Tournament appearance in Milwaukee, Illinois on SI got a chance to catch up with Illini sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic and ask about his twin brother, Zvonimir, a sophomore forward at Arkansas.

Before the season, Tomislav had talked about how he and Zvonimir had always done everything together – especially basketball – and the difficulty of the transition to college basketball and the brothers' adjustment to taking separate paths. Asked in Milwaukee about someday playing together again, Tomislav said, “We could. We already have, but who knows?”

On Monday, "Who knows?" became "Why not?" when Zvonimir entered the transfer portal, per On3's Joe Tipton.

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What might have seemed a pipe dream a week ago is now a thought experiment worth having – one that Illinois coach Brad Underwood and his staff are almost certainly considering (if they hadn't been already): Could the Illini reunite the Brothers Ivisic and field a starting lineup featuring literal twin towers next season?

The pieces fit. If Morez Johnson Jr. is indeed on his way out of Champaign (he entered the portal Friday), the Illini have a hole to fill in the frontcourt. Who could be more capable than Zvonimir?

Although his game and physical profile couldn't be more different than those of the 6-foot-9 Johnson, the 7-foot-2 Zvonimir could step in, fill some of the rebounding and interior scoring responsibilities that belonged to Johnson. But he would also bring dimensions to the Illini offense that could make it one of the most dynamic in college basketball.

Like the 7-foot-1 Tomislav, Zvonimir is a quality three-point shooter and a deft passer – the type of player who fits Underwood's offense to a T. Pairing the Ivisices on the floor together, though, could awaken a beast. The chemistry between the brothers – twins who played together for years – would be unrivaled, and in addition to some virtually unguardable pick-and-pop options, Illinois could roll out perhaps the most devastating high-low game in the country.

The Illini would be a bit slow afoot defensively in the frontcourt, but with two shot-blocking 7-footers on the floor at once (for roughly half the game, at least), opponents would find themselves turned away in the paint time and again.

Zvonimir, who averaged 8.5 points (including 47 threes on 37.6 percent shooting), 4.3 rebounds and 1.9 blocks for the Razorbacks this season, hasn't yet indicated any preferred landing spots. But one has to imagine Champaign is somewhere high on the list.

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Morez Johnson Jr. Enters Transfer Portal, Sends Illinois Fans Spiraling

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