Game 2 preview Penn at No. 3 Illinois; 7:30 p.m., Thursday (FS1)
- Story byThe News-Gazette, Champaign-Urbana, Ill.
- Game 2 preview Penn at No. 3 Illinois; 7:30 p.m., Thursday (FS1)
Nov. 5—Lineups
No. 3 Illinois
Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Ethan Brown Fr. 6-4 12.0 Rolla, Mo.
G Quentin Coleman Fr. 6-4 13.0 O'Fallon
G Andrej Stojakovic Sr. 6-7 20.0 Thessaloniki, Greece
F Zavier Zens Fr. 6-7 12.0 Milwaukee
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C Tomislav Ivisic 5th 7-1 10.0 Vodice, Croatia
➜ FYI: Six Illinois players had multiple assists in Monday's season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson. Brown led the way with seven, while Coleman had six and Stojakovic and Stefan Vaaks finished with four apiece. The Illini's 30 assists on 46 made shots was its highest assist total since the 2020-21 team had 31 in its season opener against North Carolina A&T when the Illini scored 122 points.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G Stefan Vaaks So. 6-7 20.0 Tabasalu, Estonia
C Jason Jakstys Jr. 6-10 2.0 Yorkville
G Lincoln Williams Fr. 6-5 0.0 Kankakee
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Penn
Starters
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
G AJ Levine Jr. 6-0 8.2 Elmhurst
G Sir Mohammed Jr. 6-6 4.6 Charlotte, N.C.
G/F Michael Zanoni Sr. 6-5 11.8 Charlotte, N.C.
F TJ Power Sr. 6-9 16.4 Shrewsbury, Mass.
F Augustus Gerhart Sr. 6-9 5.5 Denver, Pa.
➜ FYI: Mohammed is the only projected starter that didn't play for Penn last season. The other four started all 30 games for the Quakers, with Power earning All-Ivy League First Team honors. Mohammed, the son of former Kentucky standout and 18-year NBA pro Nazr Mohammed, was a part-time starter at Notre Dame the past two seasons.
Off the bench
P Name Yr. Ht. PPG Hometown
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F/C Dalton Scantlebury So. 6-9 5.9 Chicago
G Jay Jones So. 6-4 3.9 Chestnut Hill, Mass.
G Dorian Glogovac So. 6-6 23.6 Vancouver
Note:
Penn scoring averages from 2025-26 season, including Mohammed at Notre Dame and Glogovac at Caltech.
Details
➜ Site: State Farm Center (15,544); Champaign.
➜ Radio: Brian Barnhart (play-by-play) and former Illini Deon Thomas (analysis) will have the call on the Illini Sports Network on WDWS 1400-AM, WDWS 93.9 FM, WHMS 97.5-FM, WPXN 104.9-FM, WDAN 1490-AM, WDNL 102.1-FM, WSOY 1340-AM and WSOY 103.3-FM.
➜ TV: Jack Kizer (play-by-play) and Steve Smith (analysis) have the call on FS1.
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➜ Series: Illinois leads 7-0.
➜ Last meeting: Illinois won 105-70 on March 19 in Greenville, S.C., in the first round of the NCAA tournament. David Mirkovic posted a 29-point, 17-rebound double-double for the Illini.
➜ FYI: The Illini and Quakers haven't played on a campus site since the first three games of the series in 1947, 1948 and 1950. Last year's matchup in the NCAA tournament was also the second in the series. Illinois beat Penn 68-58 in the first round of the 2000 NCAA tournament behind 21 points from Frank Williams.
Beat writer Scott Richey's storylines
Shot selection on point for Illini in opener
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Illinois' longest two-point shot attempt in its season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson was a 7-footer from Andrej Stojakovic. Otherwise, the Illini's shot selection fit neatly into Brad Underwood's preferred areas — dunks and layups at the rim and three-pointers. Illinois shot 27 of 32 (84 percent) on two-pointers and 19 of 51 (37 percent) on three-pointers in its 120-45 victory.
"That's pretty much the analytics and the math behind it," Underwood said about the emphasis on close twos and three-pointers. "I thought we were really efficient on that end. It's not like that every night, but I thought we got great looks. The threes we took I thought were, for the most part, very good ones. We missed some good ones, some opportunities. I liked our cutting. It's still an area we've got to continue to improve in, but seven turnovers in a (72)-possession game, I'll take that every night."
Stojakovic becoming more of a playmaker
Stojakovic was one of four Illinois players who didn't miss a two-point attempt against FDU. Jason Jakstys and Quentin McCoy both made their lone attempt, while Stefan Vaaks was 5 of 5 at the rim and Stojakovic 10 of 10. The strength of Stojakovic's game is using his size and physicality against smaller guards to get to the rim and finish. The growing part of his game was on display Monday with four assists, which tied his career high.
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"It's just something that I've kind of been harped on — grabbing attention from the defense and realizing that I attract a lot of eyes on the ball," Stojakovic said about the emphasis from the coaching staff on what he can do with the ball after attacking the basket. "With our off-ball movement, it creates a lot of advantages. I think it's something I'll continue to get better at. (Monday's game) was a good stepping stone."
No real surprises with Quakers
The Penn team that Illinois will face Thursday night at State Farm Center is, in large part, the same team the Illini saw in March in Greenville, S.C., in the NCAA tournament. TJ Power is still the Quakers' No. 1 option and one of four returning starters for second-year coach Fran McCaffery. The only real changes roster-wise were the additions of Notre Dame transfer Sir Mohammed and Caltech transfer Dorian Glogovac, who was the highest scoring freshman in Division III last season.
"A team with a lot of veterans," Underwood said to describe the Quakers. "A team that's got an elite scorer — or two — in (Michael) Zanoni and Power. The Power kid had 44 in the championship game of their conference tournament. He's a very, very capable scorer — a McDonald's All-American (who spent one season at Duke and another at Virginia) — and on the other side of that he's a great rebounder.It will be a great test for us, and you'll see the kitchen sink defensively as Fran's teams always do. They'll play man. They'll play zone. They'll press. We'll have to continue to stay aggressive on the offensive side."
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The News-Gazette's pick
No. 3 Illinois 101, Penn 73
It was just one game, but Illinois' offensive outburst in its season opener means it might be tough to project too many points for the Illini in some matchups this season. Repeating the double-barreled blast of efficiency and productivity in overwhelming FDU by 75 points will be difficult, but Illinois keeps proving it doesn't need to be at full strength to be the No. 1 offense in the country. At least in week one. (News-Gazette prediction record: 1-0)
