Every new college basketball season is a chance for a team to reinvent itself, to start fresh and, if not correct the mistakes of the past to at least find new ways to solve the challenges of the present day.
Tuned up for the season. pic.twitter.com/54qS3EGePQ
— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) October 19, 2025As entertaining and high-scoring as last season’s Illinois offense could be at times, it also had a tendency to get bogged down in isolation sets and dribble-heavy halfcourt actions that went nowhere. So it was refreshing to see the ball move easily Sunday, as a variety of players brought it up the court, second and third passes came quickly, and pick-and-roll involved (rather than icing out) the three other players on the floor.
Freshman forward David Mirkovic, the ultimate exemplar of Sunday’s more free-flowing Illini attack, envisions a similar approach – with amplified results – once the Illini get whole: “I think it’s just gonna keep getting better. Like, when they come back, those three are probably guys from starting lineup and, like, it’s just gonna keep getting better when they come back, because they can do same things even better than us.”
Check out some of the best highlights from the first half of @IlliniMBB’s exhibition game against Illinois State 🎬 pic.twitter.com/1Mgvv05xLV
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) October 19, 2025Ben Humrichous wasn’t exactly a wallflower last season. In his first go-round at Illinois, Humrichous played in all 35 games, led the Illini in three-pointers made (62) and made a smattering of plays that showed he wasn’t just a former NAIA and mid-major competitor moonlighting in the Big Ten.
At the same time, Humrichous seemed to lack consistency and struggle some with the physicality of the Big Ten. After remaking his body this past offseason, he looked like a new player – at least in his 26 minutes against ISU. Humrichous scrapped for boards, bodied up on defense, went hard to the rim and attacked defenders with a much stronger back-to-the-basket game. On one first-half possession, Humrichous even sent a defender flying to earn the sort of wide-open bunny that was scarce for him a season ago.
“He weighs the same as he did last year, [but] last year he was just kind of skinny-fat,” Underwood said after the game. “Now he’s got some definition. He’s got biceps. He’s worked really hard. His reputation as a shooter – most people aren’t going to give him looks. Good. You saw some ‘Booty Ball’ with him. There can be a lot more of that.”
Check out some of the best highlights from the first half of @IlliniMBB’s exhibition game against Illinois State 🎬 pic.twitter.com/1Mgvv05xLV
— Big Ten Men’s Basketball (@B1GMBBall) October 19, 2025Mirkovic and Zvonimir Ivisic shared the floor a great deal Sunday, but once Tomislav returns, the newcomers will be competing for more of the same minutes at power forward. It helps that Mirkovic might be able to spend some time at the 3 – but that spot belongs to Stojakovic once he’s ready to go.
And then there’s Humrichous – last year’s starter at the 4. He’ll fill in at the 3 from time to time, and he may even play the 5 in some smallball lineups. But in any case, deciding who gets to play when – and how much – at power forward will be a series of tough choices for Underwood all season. The spot vacated by Morez Johnson Jr. (transfer) that had been such a concern now appears to be an embarrassment of riches. There are worse problems to have.
