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Mar. 18—CHAMPAIGN — An October tonsillectomy kept Tomislav Ivisic off the court in the crucial weeks leading up to the 2025-26 season.
A November knee injury piled on, costing the Illinois men's basketball center three games after he opened his second season in orange and blue with a 21-point performance against Jackson State.
Time away from practice at that juncture was problematic. Ivisic's role was changing in year two in Champaign following the addition of David Mirkovic. The freshman forward out of Niksic, Montenegro, became Illinois' new playmaking big — a central figure to the Illini offense that spent most of the season rated as the No. 1 most efficient in the country before being surpassed by Purdue last week.
Ivisic's adjustment to that new role centered more heavily on pick-and-pop opportunities and the occasional post-up led to inconsistent production. Big games against Tennessee and on the road at Northwestern. Others where he was less effective as a scorer, rebounder or facilitator.
And, now, a 12-game stretch heading into the NCAA tournament where Ivisic is shooting just 25 percent from three-point range with 62 percent of his total shots coming from beyond the three-point line. Numbers that are even more stark in the past five games. Ivisic will step on the court Thursday night before third-seeded Illinois (24-8) plays 14th-seeded Penn (18-11) in a first-round NCAA tournament game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., having made just 3 of 22 three-pointers (14 percent) and taken only 14 other shots in that span.
"I think I need to definitely be getting to the game with more confidence," Ivisic said. "Not think about misses. Just know that my teammates have got my back and they support me just like I support them. They all know what I can do. I know what they can do.
"I just feel like we need that trust from each other and confidence. Whatever happens, we've got 12 guys who can fix it — that can do something if I don't do good and help me fix it. I'm in a great spot right now."
Ivisic said he's not getting bogged down by his shooting struggles. The 7-foot-1 center was 1 of 5 from three-point range in Illinois' lone Big Ten tournament game against Wisconsin last Friday, a 91-88 overtime loss in the quarterfinals, after missing all six he took in two games against Oregon and Maryland during the final week of the regular season.
That's the type of mindset Brad Underwood wants. The Illinois coach wants his shooters to keep shooting.
Ivisic isn't taking bad shots. Nor is he forcing looks from the perimeter. They're simply not going in at the rate he's grown accustomed to during his two seasons with the Illini. The Vodice, Croatia, native shot 36 percent from three-point range last season and was hitting at a 37 percent in his first 17 games this season.
"I know I'm a good shooter," Ivisic said. "Bad games happen to every player, every sport. Bad moments happen. The worst thing you can do is just think about it too much. Get in your head. Start questioning yourself and your ability to do it.
"I think I'm in a good spot because I don't think about that. I know my qualities. I know how much time I work on that and how much time I spend on my shooting. It's why I cannot stress about something I cannot change."
Not letting the rest of his game slip when shots don't fall is Ivisic's priority. Like grabbing just two rebounds in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals against Wisconsin.
Ivisic, who is averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds after averaging 13.0 points and 7.7 rebounds last season, acknowledged he had to be better. Especially with his rebounding.
"If a shot doesn't go in, there's a lot more things I can do," Ivisic said. "Be active on the glass. Set good screens. Be a good communicator. I cannot let that affect my game. I've just got to be great at everything I do."
Underwood wasn't singling Ivisic out when he discussed his team's rebounding issues against Wisconsin. He wanted all of them to take it personally when he said he needed someone who would "give a (crap)" and go grab a rebound last Friday at the United Center in Chicago.
"It's not one guy's responsibility to go do it," Underwood said. "He might be in a position on the floor where he can't go do it. It's got to be that nasty mentality that, 'It's my time. I'm going to go make a play.'"
That's the nastiness Underwood was searching for from his entire team in the wake of the Wisconsin loss. The level of intensity and physicality he felt the Illini lacked.
"This group's got a lot of swag and confidence and an air about them," Underwood said. "Sometimes too much. That's what I want this time of year. If there's any doubt, just ask a few of them. They're pretty confident in their abilities, but the effort has to be there 24/7 and every possession."
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A November knee injury piled on, costing the Illinois men's basketball center three games after he opened his second season in orange and blue with a 21-point performance against Jackson State.
Time away from practice at that juncture was problematic. Ivisic's role was changing in year two in Champaign following the addition of David Mirkovic. The freshman forward out of Niksic, Montenegro, became Illinois' new playmaking big — a central figure to the Illini offense that spent most of the season rated as the No. 1 most efficient in the country before being surpassed by Purdue last week.
Ivisic's adjustment to that new role centered more heavily on pick-and-pop opportunities and the occasional post-up led to inconsistent production. Big games against Tennessee and on the road at Northwestern. Others where he was less effective as a scorer, rebounder or facilitator.
And, now, a 12-game stretch heading into the NCAA tournament where Ivisic is shooting just 25 percent from three-point range with 62 percent of his total shots coming from beyond the three-point line. Numbers that are even more stark in the past five games. Ivisic will step on the court Thursday night before third-seeded Illinois (24-8) plays 14th-seeded Penn (18-11) in a first-round NCAA tournament game at Bon Secours Wellness Arena in Greenville, S.C., having made just 3 of 22 three-pointers (14 percent) and taken only 14 other shots in that span.
"I think I need to definitely be getting to the game with more confidence," Ivisic said. "Not think about misses. Just know that my teammates have got my back and they support me just like I support them. They all know what I can do. I know what they can do.
"I just feel like we need that trust from each other and confidence. Whatever happens, we've got 12 guys who can fix it — that can do something if I don't do good and help me fix it. I'm in a great spot right now."
Ivisic said he's not getting bogged down by his shooting struggles. The 7-foot-1 center was 1 of 5 from three-point range in Illinois' lone Big Ten tournament game against Wisconsin last Friday, a 91-88 overtime loss in the quarterfinals, after missing all six he took in two games against Oregon and Maryland during the final week of the regular season.
That's the type of mindset Brad Underwood wants. The Illinois coach wants his shooters to keep shooting.
Ivisic isn't taking bad shots. Nor is he forcing looks from the perimeter. They're simply not going in at the rate he's grown accustomed to during his two seasons with the Illini. The Vodice, Croatia, native shot 36 percent from three-point range last season and was hitting at a 37 percent in his first 17 games this season.
"I know I'm a good shooter," Ivisic said. "Bad games happen to every player, every sport. Bad moments happen. The worst thing you can do is just think about it too much. Get in your head. Start questioning yourself and your ability to do it.
"I think I'm in a good spot because I don't think about that. I know my qualities. I know how much time I work on that and how much time I spend on my shooting. It's why I cannot stress about something I cannot change."
Not letting the rest of his game slip when shots don't fall is Ivisic's priority. Like grabbing just two rebounds in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals against Wisconsin.
Ivisic, who is averaging 10.0 points and 5.5 rebounds after averaging 13.0 points and 7.7 rebounds last season, acknowledged he had to be better. Especially with his rebounding.
"If a shot doesn't go in, there's a lot more things I can do," Ivisic said. "Be active on the glass. Set good screens. Be a good communicator. I cannot let that affect my game. I've just got to be great at everything I do."
Underwood wasn't singling Ivisic out when he discussed his team's rebounding issues against Wisconsin. He wanted all of them to take it personally when he said he needed someone who would "give a (crap)" and go grab a rebound last Friday at the United Center in Chicago.
"It's not one guy's responsibility to go do it," Underwood said. "He might be in a position on the floor where he can't go do it. It's got to be that nasty mentality that, 'It's my time. I'm going to go make a play.'"
That's the nastiness Underwood was searching for from his entire team in the wake of the Wisconsin loss. The level of intensity and physicality he felt the Illini lacked.
"This group's got a lot of swag and confidence and an air about them," Underwood said. "Sometimes too much. That's what I want this time of year. If there's any doubt, just ask a few of them. They're pretty confident in their abilities, but the effort has to be there 24/7 and every possession."
Continue reading...
