As the college basketball offseason continues to trudge along, teams across the country have been racing to reshape their rosters through the transfer portal. But for coach Brad Underwood and Illinois, the focus has been more about the quality of players they land, rathern than the quantity.
After retaining several key players from last season’s squad – Kylan Boswell, Ben Humrichous, Tomislav Ivisic and Jake Davis – the Illini have a strong returning foundation going into the summer. That may have made it easier for Underwood and his staff to carefully attack the transfer portal, taking their time and targeting only the right fits for the Illini.
The strategy has paid off. According to college basketball analytics expert Evan Miyakawa, Illinois’ transfer portal class – Zvonimir Ivisic (Arkansas) and Andrej Stojakovic (Cal) – ranks fourth nationally in Average Incoming Transfer Rating. The Illini check in higher on that list than several schools that were very active in the portal and more lauded for their transfer hauls – notably Kentucky, St. John’s and Iowa.
Here are the teams this offseason that are bringing in the highest quality transfers on average, per https://t.co/cegyfz8ykZ.
Getting quality in the transfer portal matters just as much as quantity. pic.twitter.com/PfxkpvZ1c8
— Evan Miyakawa (@EvanMiya) May 9, 2025
Finding value in the transfer portal has become the norm for Underwood. In just the past few years, the Illini have snagged stars like Terrence Shannon Jr., Marcus Domask and Kylan Boswell from other schools. The headliner this offseason was Stojakovic, a former five-star recruit who enjoyed a breakout campaign for Cal in 2025.
Twin brothers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic are set to face off here in KC today.
Pregame picture here with Orlando Antigua, who recruited Z to Kentucky then Tomi to Illinois. pic.twitter.com/6mTHy2QowF
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) November 28, 2024
But don’t sleep on Zvonimir Ivisic, either. The big man has experience playing in huge environments – both at Kentucky and at Arkansas – and will be reunited with twin brother Tomislav as well as former Wildcats assistant Orlando Antigua. The hope for the Illini is that the Ivisic’s can parlay their familiarity and connectivity into a lethal frontcourt duo.
Illinois’ overall transfer portal ranking – No. 44, according to 247 Sports – may not dazzle the masses, but given the program’s returning foundation and international additions, the Illini’s new transfers may need only to fit in to make an immediate impact. Quantity, quite frankly, wasn’t needed. Quality, on the other hand, could lead to some pretty special results.
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