Three exhibitions are in the books. Seven months after the Final Four in Indianapolis, the games finally count.
No. 3 Illinois opens the 2026-27 season Monday night at State Farm Center against Fairleigh Dickinson. On paper it's about as big a mismatch as you'll see this year. But the opener comes with plenty to watch: three injured veterans, a freshman class that just took over the exhibition season, and a brand-new offense that, as Brad Underwood put it, doesn't really run plays.
How to Watch
Tip: 7 p.m. CT (8 p.m. ET), Monday, November 2
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: BTN+
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network
Line: No spread had been posted as of Sunday morning. Expect Illinois to be a very big favorite.
Meet Fairleigh Dickinson
Everybody remembers FDU for one night: the 2023 NCAA Tournament, when the 16-seed Knights stunned No. 1 seed Purdue. It was only the second time a 16 had ever beaten a 1. But the program hasn't had a winning season since.
Last year the Knights went 11-21 overall and 8-10 in the Northeast Conference under third-year coach Jack Castleberry. They finished sixth, then lost to Mercyhurst in the NEC quarterfinals. Sports Reference's SRS rating ranked them 336th out of 365 teams, and the offense scored just 67.2 points a game, 341st in the country. Fans on Illinois Loyalty point out that KenPom has FDU at No. 338 heading into this season.
The Knights also lose a lot. Their top five scorers last season, Joey Niesman (12.3 ppg), Eric Parnell (10.7), Taeshaud Jackson (10.3), Arthur Cox (8.8), and Cyril Martynov (8.1), were all seniors. The News-Gazette reports FDU brings back seven players. In last season's opener on the road against Iowa State, they lost by 28.
David Jevtic · 6-8 Sophomore · Belgrade, Serbia
Jevtic is the reigning Northeast Conference Rookie of the Year. As a freshman he averaged 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds and shot 32.6% from three. He's a 6-8 guard who can step out and shoot, and with the seniors gone, expect him to get a lot more shots this year.
FDU's roster has plenty of size elsewhere too, including 6-10 Sebastian Haubro from Denmark and 6-10 Pavle Stosic from Serbia, but very little proven scoring.
The History
Illinois is 2-0 all-time against Fairleigh Dickinson, and both meetings were memorable for Illini fans for different reasons.
March 2005: The first meeting came in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. No. 1 seed Illinois beat 16th-seeded FDU 67-55, the first step of the run to the national championship game.
December 29, 2023: The Illini rolled 104-71 at State Farm Center.
Illinois Injury Report
Who's In, Who's Out
David Mirkovic (foot): OUT. Underwood has said Illinois will be without Mirk for "a little while," and that includes some regular-season games. The screw from his August surgery is in good position, and the boot is precautionary.
Andrej Stojakovic (head): Questionable. Hit his head on the floor against Baylor and sat out against UIC. He was seen shooting before the UIC game, but there's no official timeline.
Zvonimir Ivisic (head): Uncertain. Same story as Stojakovic. He hit his head against Baylor, sat out against UIC, and was seen shooting pregame. Status for Monday is unclear.
Tomislav Ivisic (knee): Questionable on Writing Illini's report, but likely. Underwood called it "a little bruise," and he led Illinois with 14 points against UIC.
Lincoln Williams: Slipped and fell in practice before UIC, started anyway, and played five minutes. Worth watching.
One fan on Illinois Loyalty guessed that both Stojakovic and Zvonimir would be back by Thursday's Penn game at the latest, but that's speculation. With a game like this on the schedule, there's no reason for Underwood to rush anybody.
Five Things to Watch
1. Who starts?
Against UIC, Underwood started Tomislav Ivisic, Jake Davis, Ethan Brown, Quentin Coleman, and Lincoln Williams. Brown and Coleman started all three exhibition games, and Coleman just made the Jerry West Award preseason watch list. If Stojakovic is cleared, he slides back in. Stefan Vaaks has come off the bench all preseason and been terrific in that role.
2. The defense
Illinois gave up 96 to Cincinnati and 95 to Baylor before locking down UIC, which shot 39.7% and went 5-for-27 from three. Underwood said after Baylor that 90 percent of the team's mistakes were communication. Against a team that struggled to score last season, the goal should be to hold FDU well under its 67-point average from last year.
3. The rebounding
Baylor grabbed 22 offensive rebounds. UIC got just 10 second-chance points. Without Mirkovic, Illinois' best rebounder last season, the guards have to crash. Coleman and Lucas Morillo combined for 15 rebounds against UIC.
4. The "no plays" offense
Illinois had 28 assists on 37 baskets against UIC. Underwood said afterward, "We truly don't run plays," and the motion offense his son Tyler designed is all about spacing, driving, and finding the open man. FDU's defense was actually respectable last season, allowing 70.2 points a game (72nd nationally), so this is a fair early test of the new system.
5. The freshmen
Four freshmen scored in double figures against UIC. Coleman scored 14, 20, and 10 in the three exhibitions. Underwood said the staff knew it would count on this class, and with three veterans banged up, that's still true. Expect Brown, Coleman, Morillo, Zavier Zens, Lincoln Williams, and Landon Davis all to see real minutes.
The Season Opener Tradition
Illinois has been dominant on opening night lately. According to Roundtable Sports, the Illini have won their recent openers by an average of 41 points. Last year they beat Jackson State by 58 and scored a season-high 113. Underwood knows the target on this team's back, though: "We know we're going to get everybody's best shot."
This isn't the game where we learn whether Illinois is a national title team. That starts on the road at Texas Tech on November 10 and at Duke on November 17. This is the game where the Illini get the Final Four hangover out of their system, play everybody, and keep everyone healthy. If Stojakovic or Zvonimir return, even better. Just don't take FDU for granted. Purdue did once, and everyone remembers how that went.
I-L-L. 🧡Reporting compiled from FightingIllini.com, FDUKnights.com, Sports Reference, The News-Gazette, The Champaign Room, Sports Illustrated (Illinois on SI), Writing Illini, Roundtable Sports via Yahoo, The Daily Illini, and fan discussion on IllinoisLoyalty.com.