NEWS: Zvonimir Ivisic to return to Illinois for senior season

Per Jonathan Givony, Illinois center Zvonimir Ivisic will return to Champaign for his senior season. Zvonimir and his twin brother, Tomislav, will anchor the Illini frontcourt for a second straight year. Z transferred from Arkansas after his sophomore season and put together a strong junior campaign in Champaign.

Ivisic will enter the season with 87 career games under his belt and is expected to provide a major spark off the bench once again. He averaged 17.2 minutes per game last season and gave Illinois a level of rim protection it hasn’t had in a long time. He ranked No. 4 nationally in block percentage and No. 1 in the Big Ten.

According to CBB Analytics, Zvonimir Ivisic graded in the 98th percentile nationally in blocks per game, the 90th percentile in defensive rebounding percentage, and the 99th percentile in Hakeem percentage (blocks and steals combined). An increased role should only boost his production further.

Like his brother, Zvonimir will need to find his three-point shot. He struggled last season, shooting a career-low 28% from beyond the arc. That figure is down from 37% in both of his previous college seasons, so the shooting ability is clearly there. A bounce-back year from deep would elevate his game and make Illinois’ offense even more efficient.

What this means?

The 7-foot-1 center averaged 6.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game across 37 appearances last season. While his scoring dipped slightly from his sophomore year at Arkansas, he posted a career high in rebounds. With more minutes likely coming his way, expect those numbers to rise across the board.

Illinois will once again feature one of the top frontcourts in the country, led by the Ivisic twins and David Mirkovic. Mirkovic announced his return just hours before Givony reported that Zvonimir, Tomislav, and Jake Davis would all be back as well.

Ivisic is likely to come off the bench again next season, but he’ll be one of the best backup big men in college basketball. He could start for most programs, yet chose to run it back with the Illini following their Final Four run.

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