Illinois will lean on Stojakovic, other veterans at Texas Tech
· Yahoo Sports
Nov. 10—LUBBOCK, Texas — Andrej Stojakovic played some high-profile games early in his freshman season at Stanford.
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Neutral-site showdowns with Arkansas and Michigan. A trip to San Diego State to close out nonconference play.
But it wasn't until the Cardinal made the trip to Tucson, Ariz., to play Arizona at the McKale Center that Stojakovic said he was "wowed" by an opposing venue.
Stojakovic's total number of high-profile games has ballooned since the 2023-24 season. He's seen the best the old Pac-12, the coast-to-coast ACC and the current 18-team Big Ten has to offer.
That is experience No. 3 Illinois (2-0) will lean on Tuesday night with its Top 25 showdown against No. 16 Texas Tech (2-0) at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas.
"All those environments, the crowd plays a big factor, but the teams deserve to have that crowd," Stojakovic said Monday. "We can't underestimate Texas Tech. They're a hell of a team, and that crowd is backing them because of how good they are. ... It will be a tough challenge, but something we've prepped for, kind of all summer, to put ourselves in position to win in games like that."
Brad Underwood made a point to schedule one of his team's three exhibition games on the road in the run-up to the 2026-27 season. But even the Illinois coach had to admit Tuesday night at Texas Tech will likely be significantly more charged than a half-full Fifth Third Arena at Cincinnati last month.
Even with that game against the Bearcats under their belt, Illinois' half-dozen freshmen will be in for a brand new experience in Lubbock.
"This group has been pretty unfazed to this point," Underwood said. "They don't get too rattled. It's going to be one of those environments. There's a reason we're playing it. We're going to lean on our veterans. Our veterans have to be poised and help (the younger players) through those moments."
"We've kind of just been harping on it's going to be a game of body blows," Stojakovic added about the message the Illinois veterans have been sharing with the team's newcomers. "We're not going to go on a run immediately. It's going to take the full 40 minutes to get this thing done. That's what we've got to make sure the younger guys understand is that the game's not going to be over within the first half. It's going to be a tough game, it's going to take all 40 and we're excited for it."
Stojakovic will be that go-to experienced player Tuesday night for Illinois. The 6-foot-7 guard scored a game-high 25 points in just 22 minutes during the Illini's 112-70 win against Penn last Thursday night after scoring 20 points in 20 minutes in the season opener against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 2.
Stojakovic missed a few days of practice late last month while dealing with a concussion he suffered in the team's exhibition game against Baylor on Oct. 23, but he picked up right where he left off. Illinois' new up-tempo style plays right to his strengths. The senior guard is a menace attacking the basket and is shooting 68 percent at the rim while also knocking down 50 percent of his three-pointers.
"I feel good," Stojakovic said. "Obviously, the more we play, the faster we play, the better shape I'm going to get and the team is going to get. I'm back in the full swing of things.
"The ball is popping around a lot faster. It's just easier for us to create advantages on the weak side. When the ball gets swung a couple times, for guys like me, guys like Quentin (Coleman) — guys that can play off the close-out and create an advantage — it helps us out."
That Stojakovic has flashed as a high-level scorer through Illinois' first two games isn't exactly a surprise. That's the player Underwood recruited out of the transfer portal last offseason, bringing him to Champaign from California.
What has stood out more to the Illini coach about Stojakovic's first two games is the four assists he had against FDU and the four he matched that with against Penn. That Stojakovic pulled down a dozen total rebounds in those two games didn't hurt either.
"He's a really high processor," Underwood said. "I"m trying to help him understand when you move up the scouting report and you're at the top of it, people are going to try and figure out how to stop you. Elevating others is the level of greatness that has to happen. It's a challenge for him. He's always been and had a scorer's mentality, but he has the ability to make all the passes and make all the plays.
"I think he's relaxed. I think he's confident. I think he's comfortable. Offensively, we've put him in some positions to be successful. Other than maybe the Baylor scrimmage, I think he's been very good at his decision-making. He makes a lot of pressure on opponents getting downhill. He's shooting the ball very well. I think it's just continued growth for him and taking opportunities that are there. We need him to be a great defender. We need him to be a great rebounder. We need him to continue to make winning plays outside of just scoring points for us."