What kind of grade did Big Ten Basketball deserve last season? Well, considering that two of its teams (Illinois and Michigan) made the Final Four, with the Wolverines being the first school from the conference to win it all since rival Michigan State did it back in 2000.
After two months of offseason moves, how has each Big Ten team done in terms of roster building? Here’s a look at each team’s decisions, giving each of them a grade for their efforts.
Illinois Fighting Illini - Grade A+
- 2025-26 record: 28-9 (15-5 Big Ten)
Roster departures
- Keaton Wagler (17.9 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 4.2 apg)
- Kylan Boswell (12.3 ppg and 3.0 apg)
- Ben Humrichous (5.8 ppg and 3.9 rpg)
Roster returnees
- Andrej Stojakovic (13.5 ppg and 4.5 rpg)
- David Mirkovic (13.3 ppg and 8.0 rpg)
- Tomislav Ivisic (10.4 ppg and 5.6 rpg)
- Zvonmir Ivisic (6.4 ppg and 4.5 rpg)
- Jake Davis (5.4 ppg and 2.2 rpg)
Roster additions
- Stefan Vaaks (15.8 ppg and 3.2 apg at Providence)
- Quentin Coleman (4-star guard prospect)
It’s been an offseason in which everything that was realistically possible went their way. Of course, star freshman Wagler would go pro, and he’s projected to be a top-10 NBA Draft pick. There was a chance Stojakovic would also move on, but he chose to come back for another year.
The rest of the frontcourt returns, led by Mirkovic, who had some major individual performances down the stretch and is going to be an All-American candidate. The Ivisic brothers are back to give them frontcourt depth, which already is one of the best in the country.
What really makes it a perfect offseason is the addition of Coleman, who was a former Wake Forest commit before parting ways. He picked Illinois and has now become a five-star prospect and likely starting guard, coming off a great performance in the FIBA Americup Tournament in June. Coleman’s arrival has overshadowed the arrival of Vaaks, who was a star in his own right at Providence.
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