There is one question that everyone paying attention to Illinois basketball’s unique offseason has been asking themselves:
Can the international approach work?
Although the Illini gave the college basketball world a taste of international flavor last season with the trio of Kasparas Jakucionis (Lithuania), Tomislav Ivisic (Croatia) and Will Riley (Canada), the Illini have fully embraced the method this offseason.
Illinois’ rotation next season will feature the Ivisic twins (Tomislav and Zvonimir), Mihailo Petrovic (Serbia), David Mirkovic (Montenegro) and American-born Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic (whose father, Peja, is a Greek-Serbian from Croatia).
The Illini won’t be short on talent, but one college basketball expert believes a single piece may dictate how far the team can take things in 2025-26:
“Mihailo Petrovic is the key,” says CJ Moore of The Athletic. “He’s 22 and an MVP candidate in the Adriatic League. … To give you an idea of the level of competition, the leading scorer for the team above Petrovic in the standings (SC Derby) is Rasir Bolton, who averaged 10.1 points per game for Gonzaga in 2022-2023 on a team that made the Elite Eight.”
Mihailo Petrovic – Illinois Commit
The 22 year old point guard averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds in 27.4 minutes a game for Mega MIS in the Adriatic League
Petrovic is currently an MVP candidate in the Adriatic League pic.twitter.com/T3dwUTi5zu
— Joe Jackson (@joejacksonCBB) April 22, 2025
Worth noting: Moore pointed out that a source has concerns about an aspect of Petrovic’s game translating to American college basketball competition:
“Petrovic is a burner, and his speed is a real advantage in [the Adriatic] league and might not be as much of one in the college game.”
Still, Moore isn’t deterred.
“It’s a good league, and you have to be a real player to be an MVP candidate.”
Pushing the perfect buttons on both ends may be Underwood’s job on the sideline, but those duties will fall to Petrovic on the court. And his ability to juggle that with creating for himself and his teammates may be the ultimate decider in Illinois’ ceiling next season.
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