Illinois basketball will open its 2026-27 regular season against Fairleigh Dickinson in a non-conference matchup Monday (7 p.m. CT, BTN) at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. After going 2-1 during their exhibition schedule, the Illini begin the season a little banged up but also ranked No. 3 in the country and pegged as a national championship contender.
Illinois' Preseason All-American forward David Mirkovic, already recovering from offseason foot surgery, required an emergency appendectomy Saturday night - possibly delaying his timeline for a return. Additionally, guard Andrej Stojakovic and forward Zvonimir Ivisic separately hit their heads on the court against Baylor on Oct. 23, and didn't play in the Illini's final exhibition game, but should both play against FDU. Freshman guard Lincoln Williams is considered questionable.
Meanwhile, Fairleigh Dickinson coach Jack Castleberry is trying to build something bigger than his club's recent results (11-21, sixth in the Northeast Conference last season) suggest. The Knights lost several key performers from a year ago but have also added size and productivity in St. Peter's transfer Bol Agu (6-foot-8), Pepperdine transfer Pavle Stosic (6-foot-10) and high-scoring 6-foot-4 guard Vophcy Prophete. They team with 6-foot-8 guard and 2026 NEC Rookie of the Year David Jevtic.
16:47:Welcome to the 2026-27 Fighting Illini: Illinois hits the ground running - literally. Andrej Stokakovic, who missed the team's final exhibition as a precaution (head), starts a run with a layup off the break and finishes it with a transition floater. In between, the Illini get a dunk on the break from Quentin Coleman, a three from Tomislav Ivisic and a couple free throws from Jake Davis. FDU's Bol Agu finally ends the home team's 11-0 opening surge with a jumper from the free-throw line. Illinois leads 11-2
12:38:Illinois sophomore transfer guard Stefan Vaaks is cooking. He hits a crossover on the left wing, drives to draw the help and dimes a slashing Zavier Zens for a beautiful bucket at the rim. Moments later, Vaaks hits his third straight three of the game. Illinois leads 27-6
11:05:Zvonimir Ivisic, who, like Stojakovic, missed Illinois' final exhibition game after banging his head against Baylor, checks in and almost immediately converts a bucket at the rim. On the other end, Jake Davis runs into a hard screen and is clearly in pain as he grabs his left shoulder. He leaves the court and heads to the locker room as we head to a media timeout. Illinois leads 29-8
8:26:Good sign for the Illini: Tomislav Ivisic, who had a tendency to disappear when he wasn't involved in the offense last season, has it going early. After Quentin Coleman assists Zavier Zens on a three, he zings a two-handed full-court pass off to Tomi under the opposite basket and ahead of FDU's defense. Ivisic already has eight points and a couple rebounds in seven minutes of burn. Illinois leads 38-12
6:11:Excellent ball movement from the Illini ends with Andrej Stojakovic giving and eyebrow fake at the top of the key and splitting FDU defenders in the paint to finish for the hoop and the harm. He converts the and-one to give Illinois its biggest lead yet. Illinois leads 44-17
5:26:Ethan Brown has a burner. After starting 0-for-2, Brown - a freshman - doesn't hesitate to loft one (and hit) off the catch, then sink another. Illinois leads 47-17
1:39:Treys are wild! The Illini seemingly can't miss from distance. Zavier Zens banks one in. Andrej Stojakovic, who shot 24.4 percent from three last season, finds nylon. When Stefan Vaaks tosses in his fourth three-pointer, Illinois caps a 24-0 run, extends its lead into the forties and forces FDU coach Jack Castleberry to call timeout. Illinois leads 62-17
0:02:The Illini are maintaining a blistering pace, pushing it in transition every chance they get and zipping the ball around in the halfcourt to go three-hunting the moment the Knights stop the ball. After Zvonimir Ivisic finishes the break, sophomore guard Blake Fagbemi - who had just checked in - cans a corner three to give Illinois 12 in the half - only six shy of the school record of 18. Illinois leads 67-20 at halftime
Injury updates: Jake Davis (shoulder) will not return to the game, according to the Big Ten Network broadcast. Freshman Lincoln Williams, who was listed as questionable (groin) before the game, is sitting this one out.
16:53:Andrej Stojakovic offers a superb contest to blow up a one-on-one transition opportunity for FDU, then the Illini advance the ball quickly to get Quentin Coleman a layup on the other end. Ethan Brown jumps a pass in the Knights' next possession and jams home yet another transition opportunity. Illinois leads 79-23
10:48:Illinois coach Brad Underwood (wisely) has his guys working on some things in the second half. After holding FDU to 29.9 percent shooting (including 5.9 percent on threes) in the first half, the Illini show some zone on defense. Illinois' top 12 healthy players all received minutes before halftime, but now mid- and deep-rotation guys are getting more involved. Jason Jakstys assists on an Ethan Brown layup, then puts it on the floor moments later to flip in a running baby hook at the rim. Illinois leads 96-30
8:37:The Illini race past the century mark as Landon Davis follows an Andrej Stojakovic dunk with a three. Travis Torain does his best to curtail the ugliness for FDU, throwing down a dunk. But here comes Blake Fagbemi with yet another three. That's a total of 18 for Illinois, tying the school record. Illinois leads 104-33
5:13:The Knights get a pair of threes from Diing Maiwen and a jumper from Pavle Stosic, but they just can't keep up with the Illini on the other end. Zavier Zens and Lucas Morillo give Illinois a pair of free throws each before a Morillo layup sends his club back up by 70 . Illinois leads 111-41
1:37:And there it is: Lucas Morillo sets up Landon Davis - a freshman connection - for a three from the right corner, setting the new Illini record of 19 three-pointers in a single game. Illinois leads 118-45
0:35:Quentin McCoy, the last Illinois holdout to come off the bench, wastes little time getting involved, scoring off a nifty baseline drive and reverse layup. He is the 13th Illini to score a point against FDU.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood has very little to nitpick. The Illini shot 55.4 percent from the floor, crushed the Knights on the boards (65-21) and had 30 assists against just seven turnovers. Equally, and maybe more, important was Illinois holding FDU to 27.9 percent shooting. Illinois wins 120-45
Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois:20 points (9-for-11 on field goals), seven rebounds
Stefan Vaaks, Illinois:20 points (5-for-7 on threes), four assists
Ethan Brown, Illinois:12 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and three steals
Quentin Coleman, Illinois:13 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals
David Jevtic, FDU:13 points (5-for-9 on field goals), six rebounds
Vophcy Prophete, FDU:Eight points
How to Watch Illinois Basketball vs. Fairleigh Dickinson
3 Questions Facing Illinois Basketball Ahead of Season Opener vs. FDU
First Look at Illinois Basketball's Game 1 Opponent: Fairleigh Dickinson
G:Quentin Coleman
G:Ethan Brown
G:Jake Davis
G:Andrej Stojakovic
C:Tomislav Ivisic
G:JR Jacobs
G:Raysean Johnson
G:Vophcy Prophete
F:Travis Torain
F:Pavle Stosic
This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as Live Game Thread, Updates for Illinois Basketball vs. Fairleigh Dickinson .
