Illinois Basketball: How Elite Offensive Rebounding Powered the Illini’s Final Four Run

When Illinois basketball made its run to the Final Four, there will be plenty of obvious storylines. Keaton Wagler’s emergence. The size of the Ivisic twins. Andrej Stojakovic’s scoring. David Mirkovic’s versatility. Brad Underwood finally taking the Illini back to the Final Four. But there was another part of Illinois’ identity that deserves far more attention: what happened after the ball hit the rim.

The offensive glass wasn’t simply a byproduct of having a big roster. It was something Illinois basketball intentionally built into its offense. Illinois entered last season with a roster that was, on average, 80 inches tall — 6-foot-8 — making the Illini the tallest team in the country. With that kind of size, Underwood and his staff had an opportunity to turn missed shots into an offensive weapon, and they did exactly that.

Rebounding has been a pillar of Underwood’s success

Offensive rebounding was a major emphasis throughout the season and became one of the defining characteristics of a team that ultimately came within one win of playing for a national championship. If you listened closely to Underwood after some of Illinois’ losses, there was a recurring theme. He would often point to an individual player and say the Illini needed that player to become a better offensive rebounder. It wasn’t always about shooting, turnovers or defensive breakdowns. Sometimes, the answer was simply that Illinois needed to get more out of its size.

Underwood and his staff, including assistant coach Tyler Underwood, had built it into the way Illinois played. The system is based on studying where missed shots typically go and then attacking those areas with numbers. Roughly 70 to 75 percent of misses tend to come down the middle or toward the opposite side of the floor, so Illinois doesn’t simply tell its bigs to go rebound. It sends players into specific areas. Four players can crash, including guards and wings, while anyone above the top of the key has responsibilities getting back in transition. It is organized chaos, but it is very intentional.

And Illinois was really good at it. The Illini averaged 13.3 offensive rebounds per game, which ranked 18th nationally, while also ranking among the nation’s best in offensive-rebound percentage and leading the Big Ten in both offensive rebounds per game and offensive-rebound percentage. Illinois averaged 41.1 rebounds per game and finished with a +10.2 rebounding margin. Those numbers tell you Illinois was dominant on the glass, but they don’t completely explain why offensive rebounding became such a problem for opponents.

How the Illini used its rebounding prowess in March

For that, look at the Elite Eight. Illinois beat Iowa 38-21 on the glass, a 17-rebound advantage, while also dominating the Hawkeyes 40-12 in points in the paint. The Illini’s size and physicality eventually helped them pull away and punch their ticket to the Final Four. That game showed why offensive rebounding matters beyond the box score. A missed shot is supposed to end a possession, but when Illinois grabbed the offensive rebound, the possession wasn’t over. Suddenly, the defense had to defend again while trying to locate the ball, find a body and box out.

That’s where Illinois’ size became particularly dangerous. The Illini weren’t dependent on only the Ivisic twins or Mirkovic to create second chances. Perimeter players were part of the equation, too. Wagler was a perfect example. At 6-foot-6, his size allowed him to contribute in areas smaller guards simply couldn’t. He averaged nearly five rebounds per game while also becoming Illinois’ leading scorer and primary creator. Mirkovic could rebound and initiate offense, Stojakovic could attack from the wing and crash, and the Ivisic twins provided an enormous presence around the basket.

Illinois basketball could create an advantage before the ball even went through the net.

Could 2026-2027 be even better?

Being the tallest team in the country doesn’t automatically make you a great rebounding team. Plenty of big teams fail to maximize their size. Illinois didn’t. Underwood found a way to make the roster’s size fit into the way his team played rather than simply asking the biggest players to stand around the basket and clean up misses. Guards crashed. Wings crashed. Bigs occupied space. Players attacked specific areas where misses were likely to land.

That philosophy should remain a major part of Illinois’ identity this season. In fact, offensive rebounding could be an even bigger emphasis for the 2026-27 Illini because the potential starting lineup is actually bigger than last year’s group. With that kind of size once again available, Underwood has the personnel to continue attacking the glass with numbers and turning missed shots into extra possessions.

The names and roles may change, but the principle doesn’t have to. Illinois has already shown what happens when a team makes offensive rebounding part of its identity instead of treating it like an extra effort statistic.

Shoot it. Chase it. Get it back.

Sometimes the most dangerous part of an Illinois basketball possession begins after the shot misses.