Illinois' Tomislav Ivisic Reemerges In Victory Vs. Northwestern – Is He Back?

Illinois men's basketball's seemingly infinite array of scoring weapons tin beryllium a double-edged sword. The benefits are comparatively straightforward: aggregate options that activity alongside 1 another, each only strengthening 1 another’s accomplishment set. Accounting for 5 scorers is ever much difficult for a defense than checking 1 aliases two, and it is always somebody’s night.

But that different separator tin beryllium cutting, too. The main consequence for nan Illini successful 2025-26? A limiting of opportunities for large man Tomislav Ivisic.

Take your pick: Andrej Stojakovic, Keaton Wagler, David Mirkovic, Kylan Boswell – you can’t spell incorrect pinch nan shot successful immoderate of their hands. Yet nary personnel of that quartet was expected (or astatine slightest assured) to beryllium Illinois' go-to violative option. It was expected to beryllium Ivisic.

Illinois rides Tomislav Ivisic's resurgence to 4th Big Ten roadworthy victory

Through 16 games, though, that was not nan case. Not astatine all. All 4 of Illinois' different starters mean much points and changeable attempts than Ivisic – and by a comparatively patient margin. The Illini ne'er visibly activity retired Ivisic aliases look to make a privilege of getting him touches – surely not successful nan mode they did past year.

But connected Wednesday nighttime successful Evanston, nan shot landed successful his hands again and again. And Ivisic responded. After Illinois yet making a constituent of getting Ivisic progressive early against Northwestern, nan 7-foot-1 large man was instantly much engaged connected some ends. Feeding disconnected nan spot of his teammates – and 1 imagines nan coaching unit – Ivisic was locked successful not conscionable arsenic a scorer but besides defensively and connected nan glass.

Although he was a spot retired of sorts during his early post-ups, Ivisic made his beingness felt arsenic a rebounder (finishing pinch 7 boards, tied for his second-most successful a crippled this season) and was a ceramic wall connected defense.

In nan 2nd half, erstwhile nan Illini again circled backmost to Ivisic, he was fresh to make his effect connected offense. Taking advantage of mismatches, hitting his signature bunnies astir nan rim, cleaning up connected nan violative solid and, naturally, knocking down threes, Ivisic cashed in. He vanished pinch 21 points connected 8-for-15 shooting while adding those aforementioned 7 rebounds – 3 of which came connected nan violative side.

Most encouragingly, though, Ivisic did it pinch swagger. Despite coach Brad Underwood’s adamance that Illinois – which has nan third-best discourtesy successful nan country, per KenPom – doesn’t request to make immoderate violative adjustments, it appears that nan Illini astatine slightest made definite accommodations Wednesday to jump-start Ivisic's game.

Simply emphasizing dumping nan shot into nan station much often and prioritizing Ivisic arsenic a target erstwhile defenses sag disconnected him connected nan three-point statement tin beryllium a game-changer for Illinois. Better yet, that tin each beryllium accomplished while staying wrong nan travel of nan discourtesy and avoiding immoderate awesome alterations to nan strategy – arsenic we saw firsthand against Northwestern.

After a much than three-minute agelong successful which nan Illini made conscionable 1 section extremity – their inevitable regular scoring drought – and saw their lead shrink from 15 to five, Ivisic reentered nan crippled and nan momentum flipped successful nan bat of an eye.

Ivisic scored 11 of nan adjacent 13 for Illinois, pushing nan lead backmost to 10 pinch conscionable complete 2 minutes remaining. The Illini yet escaped Evanston pinch their first triumph astatine Welsh-Ryan Arena since 2022.

The beauty of nan Illini is their balance. But to not attraction nan mostly of violative efforts – or, astatine nan very least, much of them – toward possibly their astir move violative threat is an injustice to some Ivisic and nan team. Perhaps Wednesday was conscionable nan first measurement successful righting that season-long wrong.