Center
Projected starter: Tomislav Ivisic (22 mpg)
Brad Underwood made a big-time splash in its frontcourt in early May, landing 7-foot-1 Croatian big man Tomislav Ivisic. Ivisic, who spent time playing overseas, turned 21 in August -- a major plus for an Illini frontcourt that is both relatively young and inexperienced at the power-five level. Despite his 7-foot-1 frame, Ivisic fits right into Illinois’ style of play with its high-tempo offense. As an excellent floor spacer who is not afraid to step behind the arc and knock down threes, it’s only a matter of time before the rest of college basketball begins to know his name.
Bench: Morez Johnson (18 mpg)
Keeping Morez Johnson in-state was priority No. 1 for Brad Underwood’s recruiting efforts. The four-star center -- and the top-ranked prospect in Illinois -- committed to Illinois in November 2021 as a sophomore. That was two years before he officially signed with the Illini. In those two years, Johnson skyrocketed the national recruiting rankings and was Illinois’ highest-ranked recruit in the 24/7 Sports recruiting rankings era before five-star F Will Riley joined the ship in late June.
Although Johnson may be raw offensively, the physicality he brings to the table -- both a defender, finisher and rebounder -- is crucial. There are plenty of talented bigs in the Big Ten. Morez Johnson can certainly hold his own amongst those talented bigs in the paint this season.