Illinois opened its 2026-27 season with an exhibition win on the road at Cincinnati on Saturday. It wasn't pretty – the Illini won a barnburner 105-96 – but a win is a win. And at the end of the day, the final outcome of exhibition games don't carry much weight.
But there are bits and pieces from the action that can say a lot. Here are five key stats from the game and what each means moving forward for Illinois as the 2026-27 regular season quickly approaches:
5 stats to know from Illinois basketball's exhibition win at Cincinnati
Illinois' three-point percentage: 42.4 percent
Threes, please. We knew this Illini team was going to be able to shoot, but 14 made triples and 42.4 percent to open the season – albeit in an exhibition matchup – is huge. Mind you, this came against a Cincinnati team with a defense projected to be top-20 in the country (per KenPom).
FIRST HALF HIGHLIGHTS: I'll post way more later, but here's about 95 seconds to tide you over.
Stojakovic, Brown looked good.
Non-breaking news: #Illini can shoot it pic.twitter.com/MYkHFbtYYZ
– Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) October 17, 2026
Seven Illinois players hit at least one three and five had multiple threes – led by three apiece from big man Tomislav Ivisic and freshman guard Ethan Brown. Once again, shooting will be a massive strength for the Illini.
The rebounding disparity in the Illini's favor: 7
The Bearcats obliterated Ohio State on the glass in their first exhibition game. So Cincinnati appears to be no slouch on the boards. Winning the rebounding battle in this game, and by seven, was encouraging.
That said, yielding 12 offensive rebounds and a subsequent 12 second-chance points means there is work still to be done. Expect Illinois, which is held to a tremendously high standard on the boards by coach Brad Underwood, to polish that up as the season nears.
Cincinnati guard Tylen Riley's points + assists: 44
There is no reason to beat around the bush: Tylen Riley torched Illinois on Saturday. He scored 31 points on 10-for-18 shooting from the field and dished out 13 assists.
The Illini had no answer for him. With the departure of Kylan Boswell, who checked the top opposing guard on a game-to-game basis in 2025-26, one of the swirling questions in Champaign has been: Who will be Illinois' defensive stopper? There are options – namely Quentin Coleman and Andrej Stojakovic – but let's hope Saturday wasn't a sign of what's to come.
Illinois' turnovers: 15
First, let's highlight two things: 1) This was Illinois' first live action of the year, and 2) there are six freshmen on the roster – all of whom played. It was always going to be sloppy.
Still, 15 turnovers makes ball security a topic worth monitoring moving forward. Stefan Vaaks and the Ivisic twins combining for eight cough-ups is mildly concerning – especially the Ivisic twins (five between them), considering they're bigs. Coleman, a freshman, was responsible for three.
Andrej Stojakovic + Stefan Vaaks' made two-pointers: 13
The scouting report on Vaaks: shooter (and that should probably be in all caps). On Saturday, though, he was getting downhill. He was 5-for-7 inside the arc and took six free throws. Vaaks also hit two threes, which seems to show how difficult he's going to be for opponents to stop in this offense.
Stojakovic, meanwhile, was 8-for-15 from the field (all two-pointers) and 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. His rim-attacking ability was hardly a revelation, yet still a welcome sight for Illini fans.
101 and counting for the #Illini
Stojakovic up to 24 in the night pic.twitter.com/AAt5vkGTj0
– Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) October 17, 2026
If Stojakovic and Vaaks can both get to the rim at a high level, that gives the Illini a trio of options – including Coleman – that can apply pressure on opponents as slashers from the perimeter. If Illinois combines that with its elite shooting, the offense is going to be an impossible cover.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/college/illinois as 5 Key Stats From Illinois Basketball's Exhibition Win Over Cincinnati.