The Illini roster is likely set for the 2026-27 season, and Illinois will once again have one of the most talented teams in the country. Five rotation players return from last year’s Final Four team with their sights set on winning a national championship.
The roster is loaded and talented enough to make another Final Four run, but one concern remains: Illinois once again will not have a traditional point guard. Point guard play will be one of the biggest questions entering the season, but Brad Underwood and his staff have consistently found success using nontraditional players at the position.
Underwood and his coaching staff have proven they can adapt their system every year based on the personnel they have.
Last season, Keaton Wagler took over point guard duties in December and went on to have one of the best seasons in Illinois basketball history. Wagler was recruited as a shooting guard, but he constantly made the right play with the ball in his hands. At 6-foot-5, he was never expected to be the team’s point guard entering the season, yet he made the transition seamlessly as a freshman.
Mihailo Petrovic was expected to be the starting point guard but ultimately could not beat out Wagler for the job. Petrovic was simply too small for the system Illinois wants to play, and that has become a recurring theme under Underwood. Similarly, Kasparas Jakucionis was listed as a shooting guard when he came to the United States, but Underwood always envisioned him as his starting point guard.
Jakucionis stepped into that role from day one in Champaign and developed into a first-round NBA Draft pick. At 6-foot-6, he possessed the size Underwood covets at the position. Positional size has become a major emphasis in Illinois’ recruiting philosophy, and it has produced results both in college and at the NBA level.
The 2023-24 Elite Eight season marked the beginning of Underwood’s shift toward bigger point guards. Ty Rodgers, Marcus Domask, and Terrence Shannon Jr. all handled point guard responsibilities during that historic run. None of them fit the traditional point guard mold, but all stood at least 6-foot-6, and Illinois finished with one of the nation’s most explosive offenses. That success helped fuel Underwood’s commitment to playing bigger guards at the point.
The 2026-27 season should be no different. Stefan Vaaks, a 6-foot-7 guard, has a great opportunity to become Illinois’ next starting point guard. Although he is listed as a shooting guard, he has the tools to become the latest Illini combo guard to thrive in the role. Freshman Quentin Coleman, a 6-foot-4 guard, could also emerge as the team’s primary ball handler if Vaaks does not.
David Mirkovic is another player capable of initiating the offense despite standing 6-foot-9. The versatile forward has an outstanding handle for his size and will likely be asked to create opportunities throughout the season. The coaching staff should trust Mirkovic with the ball more often, and I expect “Point Mirk” to be on full display next season.
Illinois doubters will argue that the team’s ceiling is limited because it lacks a true point guard. The past three seasons have shown that Underwood does not need a traditional point guard to build an elite offense or compete for championships. History suggests another combo guard will successfully transition into the role, making it four consecutive seasons that Illinois has thrived without a conventional floor general. If that happens again, the Illini will have everything they need to cut down the nets in Detroit.