Tomislav Ivisic bounces back with fantastic game vs VCU

Tomislav Ivisic entered his second season in Champaign with heavy expectations. The Croatian big man averaged 13.0 points and 7.7 rebounds per game during the 2024-2025 season and looked like a corner piece for this Illini team. With his ability to pass and score the ball in every area on the court, Ivisic was pegged as the leader of this team. However, Tomislav Ivisic dealt with a summer tonsillectomy that sidelined him for quite some time. When he finally returned, he suffered a knee injury after the first game of the season, which was thought to be rather significant.

However, Tomislav returned and has struggled with a new role and with conditioning after two major speed bumps in his health.

But Ivisic came alive vs VCU

In the last four games of the season, Ivisic averaged 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game while shooting an abysmal 8 of 27 from the field and 2 of 17 from the three. Many were underwhelmed by Tomi’s play, and some unfairly blasted him on social media. However, Ivisic, a fan-favorite, rebounded and had one of his best games of the season in the Round of 32 vs VCU. Tomislav Ivisic had 14 points and 11 rebounds in just 22 minutes vs VCU. Beyond the stat sheet, Tomi simply played a simple game. His motor looked turned on, and he did an outstanding job walling up to the penetrating VCU guards. He also set some incredible screens to help Keaton Wagler, Andrej Stojakovic, and Kylan Boswell get into the paint.

It may not have been the most flashy performance from the Croatian big man, but if Tomi can simply keep things simple, look for him to play a major role in the Illini’s upcoming games.

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