newsgazette
Illinois will tip off its exhibition schedule against Cincinnati at 4 p.m. Saturday at Fifth Third Arena in Cincinnati. The game serves as a tune-up for the Illini, who will play their first two regular-season games against power-conference foes on the road at Texas Tech and Duke.
Illinois Lineup and Injuries
Illinois will be without sophomore forward David Mirkovic, who is recovering from foot surgery. Senior forward Jake Davis is a game-time decision after suffering an ankle injury in a recent practice. Davis, who started 22 of 37 games last season, averaged 5.4 points and 2.2 rebounds while shooting 40.6 percent from three-point range. Coach Brad Underwood said Friday that Davis is pushing to play but is not expected to be available.
The Illini starters are expected to be Stefan Vaaks (So., G, 6-7, 15.8 ppg), Quentin Coleman (Fr., G, 6-4, 23.1 ppg), Andrej Stojakovic (Sr., G, 6-7, 13.5 ppg), Zvonimir Ivisic (5th, F/C, 7-2, 6.4 ppg) and Tomislav Ivisic (5th, C, 7-1, 10.4 ppg). Off the bench, freshmen Ethan Brown (6-4, 24.0 ppg), Lucas Morillo (6-7, 17.4 ppg) and Lincoln Williams (6-5, 26.0 ppg) will provide depth. Scoring averages are from the 2025-26 season.
Cincinnati Lineup and Eligibility
Cincinnati starters include Elijah Perryman (So., G, 6-2, 8.0 ppg), Trevian Carson (Sr., G, 6-3, 3.0 ppg), MJ Collins (5th, G, 6-4, 0.0 ppg), Tyler Tejada (Sr., F, 6-9, 17.0 ppg) and Jayden Hastings (Sr., F, 6-10, 16.0 ppg). Collins did not play in the Bearcats' 79-68 exhibition win over Ohio State on Oct. 7 due to eligibility issues. He is now eligible following an executive order from Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine that makes all Class of 2022 athletes eligible for a fifth season. The Ohio Supreme Court stayed a decision from the Ohio Court of Appeals that had ruled Collins and others ineligible. Collins followed new Cincinnati coach Jerrod Calhoun from Utah State and also played at Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech. He averaged 17.5 points on 49/36/81 shooting last season for the Mountain West Conference champion Aggies. Other Bearcats to watch include Tylen Riley (Sr., G, 6-3, 23.0 ppg), Eric Mahaffey (Jr., G, 6-6, 0.0 ppg) and Adlan Elamin (So., F, 6-10, 5.0 ppg). Scoring averages are from Cincinnati's first exhibition game against Ohio State on Oct. 7.
Series History
Illinois leads the regular-season series 3-2. The last meeting was a 71-51 Cincinnati win on Nov. 22, 2021, in Kansas City, Mo. The teams also met twice in 2004, with Illinois winning 92-68 on March 21, 2004, in the second round of the NCAA tournament in Columbus, Ohio, and 67-45 on Dec. 31, 2004, in Las Vegas. Deron Williams led the Illini in both games, scoring 31 points on 10-of-13 shooting in the NCAA tournament and 18 in Las Vegas.
Underwood's Approach
Illinois playing its first of three exhibition games on the road was intentional. Coach Brad Underwood wanted his team to experience a road environment before facing Texas Tech and Duke. "We needed a really, really quality opponent on the road, and this group needs to learn how to tackle the road," Underwood said. "We're not very in-depth with scouting in this game intentionally. I want to see how we react to situations and what our principles are, but they need to understand what it looks like and what our routine is on the road. I don't want the first one to be at Texas Tech. It's a great, great test for us."
Cincinnati's Exhibition Experience
Cincinnati already has one exhibition under its belt, having beaten Ohio State 79-68 on Oct. 7 in the CareSource Invitational at the Linder Family Tennis Center in Mason, Ohio. The game was played outdoors, and the Bearcats shot 34 percent in the first half and 65 percent in the second. "They have personnel that allows them to be a pretty good shooting team, and they didn't shoot it well in that," Underwood said. "I'm sure it was a different dynamic being outside, but you saw their defensive intensity and their ability to turn teams over. It was a game that had a couple of big lead swings and changes, but I thought you saw their experience at the end."
Exhibition Opener Expectations
Underwood plans to treat Saturday's exhibition like an NBA preseason game, getting everyone playing time. With Mirkovic out and Davis likely unavailable, more minutes will be available for the freshmen. Illinois has two more exhibitions after Saturday: Oct. 23 against Baylor and Oct. 28 against Illinois-Chicago. "I'm a big fan of it," Underwood said of the rule change allowing a third exhibition. "We're always trying to win when we step on the floor and play harder than our opponent, but it's about getting guys to grow up, getting guys to understand what it looks like. ... I want to see how we execute against a team that's very athletic, very handsy. See what it just looks like. I don't know yet. I'm going in as blind as anybody on certain things."
Prediction
The News-Gazette picks Illinois 88, Cincinnati 84. Illinois should have the advantage even while shorthanded, but the Bearcats could knock off a second straight Big Ten opponent. With two rotation regulars out, the Illini freshmen will make their college debuts in an unfamiliar environment.
Originally reported by newsgazette.