The Fighting Illini were a bit of a disappointment last season, there’s no denying that. After a season filled with hope and promise, Brad Underwood’s bunch ended up fizzling out early in the NCAA Tournament; losing to Mark Pope’s Kentucky Wildcats by a score of 84-75. It was a game filled with COUNTLESS mental errors by the navy and orange, and it made fans question what this program would have to do in the off-season to bring them back to the dance.

Well, after just three weeks……it looks like Illinois is already starting to figure things out. It looks like the former Big Ten Champions are preparing for a surge in 2025, and it’s starting with their first transfer portal signing……Zvonimir Ivisic.

NEWS: Arkansas transfer Zvonimir Ivisic has committed to Illinois, his agent Misko Raznatovic told ESPN.

Big Z will form a dynamic twin 7-foot towers duo with his twin brother Tomislav Ivisic for head coach Brad Underwood. pic.twitter.com/c4kr8w0pO9

— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 5, 2025

Ivisic, for those of you who are unaware, is the twin brother of Illinois big-man Tomislav Ivisic. Last season, in 35 games for John Calipari’s Arkansas Razorbacks, the Croatian sophomore was able to put up an impressive stat-line consisting of;

8.5 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.8 APG, 47.3 FG%

Sure, his cumulative metrics don’t jump off the page to some people. But as a backup who averaged only 19 MPG, and had to sit behind the likes of Adou Thiero and Trevon Brazile……this kid looked rather impressive, and showed a lot of potential. So much so, that when he did start against the likes of LSU and Alabama…..he put on a SHOW for the people. He posted a total of 52 points, to go along with his 10 boards and seven blocks while averaging 30 minutes per contest.

He is an extremely large individual, who has the ability to stretch the floor just like his brother. They can pose a threat to opposing defenses through multiple facts of the game, with Zvonimir and Tomislav shooting 37.6% and 35.7% from long range respectively.

They are two gigantic human beings who, on the floor, can really give Underwood and co. a multitude of options to choose from. They can keep them down low, and let the work in the paint. They can stretch them out to the perimeter, giving guys like the returning Boswell and Rodgers lanes to the bucket. The possibilities are ENDLESS!

I, as an Illini fan, am VERY HAPPY to have these two gigantic humans on my team next season. The thought of the Ivisic twins clogging up the paint at the State Farm Center, with guys like Kylan Boswell and Will Riley around the perimeter, is a lineup that you can salivate over. It’s something that we can get hyped for, as we make our way through the off-season.

Sure, some folks can talk about their “size” (especially Zvonimir’s), and say that he is too skinny to play in the post in the Big Ten. But to that, I say……wait until Coach Fletch puts them on a lifting schedule. These two are going to be a couple of TOWERS come this fall. It’s going to be fun to watch!

Welcome to the team, Zvonimir! Let’s get to work, big fella! But in the end, as always…..what do I know? I’m just a guy from the Midwest, with a beer and a laptop, trying to make sense of this world.