The Fighting Illini's projected starting five has been named with the season opener a little over a month away.
Illinois basketball is coming off of a sensational 28-9, Final Four season under coach Brad Underwood that has heightened expectations for 2026-27 in Champaign, Illinois. The Fighting Illini are being ranked in the top ten of several different preseason rankings, including third overall by CBS Sports insider Jon Rothstein.
Rothstein has been busy compiling projected starting lineups for several different teams throughout the offseason, including the Illini's, which he shared on Tuesday.
Principia Panthers guard Quentin Coleman (11) is fouled by Wheeler Wildcats guard Kevin Savage III (2) during the fourth quarter of a City of Palms Classic quarterfinal game at Suncoast Credit Union Arena in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday, Dec. 20, 2025. Freshman Cracks Projected Lineup
Freshman guard Quentin Coleman, a five-star recruit from The Principia School in St. Louis, Mo., was named to Rothstein's projected lineup along with one transfer and three returnees.
He is projected as the Fighting Illini's starting point guard, an interesting development given his 3.9 assists per game average as a high school senior. Coleman is an exciting athlete and high-octane scorer who fits the style Underwood wants to play, but passing will be a key area of focus for him this season.
At the shooting guard position, Providence transfer Stefan Vaaks is the projected starter. Vaaks was ranked as a top five three-point shooter in the country by Andy Katz this week after taking over 250 threes last season.
At the third guard spot (perhaps an homage to the 2004-2005 Illini), Andrej Stojakovic was named as a starter by Rothstein. The former California Golden Bears star is a versatile offensive player whose three-point shooting needs plenty of work and is far off of the standard set by his famous father, Peja Stojakovic.
Forward David Mirkovic and center Tomislav Ivisic round out Rothstein's list as the versatile forward and crafty big man both figure to log heavy minutes for the Illini in 2026-27.
Passing — The Fighting Illini's Weakness?
Illinois is known for being a deep and united team but the Fighting Illini have plenty of work to do in setting up their teammates heading into the 2026-27 season.
Coach Underwood's team was out-assisted 14-3 against the UConn Huskies in their Final Four loss last season, a game that prevented them from facing Big Ten foe Michigan for the national championship.
Vaaks averaged 3.2 assists last season and Mirkovic averaged 2.6, but the Fighting Illini's ability to move the ball around will be tested without Keaton Wagler and Kylan Boswell, last season's assist leaders.
The threesome of Coleman, Vaaks and Mirkovic have enough passing skills to up their assist numbers significantly this coming season, particularly if they are able to find a rhythm and build a rapport on the court before the Big Ten season gets started.
Illinois' projected starting lineup is packed with scorers, now all it needs is a commitment to team basketball that could take the Fighting Illini from a Final Four team to a national title winner.
