GREENVILLE, S.C. — Zvonimir Ivišić had just blocked VCU forward Lazar Djokovic’s dunk attempt, which clanged off the rim. Illinois’ 7-foot-2 center was trying to get back on offense, figuring he would get set to play five-on-five.
But as he reached the 3-point line in Bon Secours Wellness Arena, he saw the pass coming in front of him from Kylan Boswell. He grabbed the ball and took two steps to get just beyond the free-throw line.
“And I just went for it,” Ivišić said.
Illini freshman Keaton Wagler was watching from the bench and thought to himself, “There’s no way he makes it.”
Ivišić somehow sailed all the way to the basket for a monster one-handed jam, causing his teammates on the bench, including twin brother Tomislav, to jump around in celebration.
“No doubt,” Zvonimir Ivišić said.
It was all part of the Illini show for the crowd Saturday night in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
There was Andrej Stojaković dribbling behind his back to get a step on VCU guard Terrence Hill Jr. in the first half, then completing the slam over Djokovic, hanging on the rim ever so slightly with a satisfied look on his face. There was Ben Humrichous getting a steal and feeding it to Stojaković for a two-handed dunk in the second half. Tomislav Ivišić got in on the action with a couple of jams too.
The No. 3 seed Illini were on their offensive game once again in Greenville — and turned in a pretty big defensive performance too — to top 11th-seeded VCU 76-55. They advance to the Sweet 16 to play No. 2 seed Houston on Thursday in Houston.
It will be Illinois’ second Sweet 16 appearance in three years under coach Brad Underwood after making an Elite Eight run two years ago. The last time the Illini did that was a span of four appearances in five years from 2001-05, including the Elite Eight in 2001 and the national championship game in 2005.
This is almost an entirely new team from the one that went to the Elite Eight in 2024, and they celebrated by bombarding Underwood with squirt guns in the locker room afterward.
“Telling myself that I’m going to the Sweet 16 is pretty surreal, but that’s why I came here,” said Stojaković, who is in his first year with the Illini after playing for Cal and Stanford. “It’s why all the newcomers came here. We came here to get this experience, and in return, we’ve got to help this team get as far as we can take it. I’m just super proud and happy for every single one of these guys.”
Illinois, working with a distinct size advantage, was led by Stojaković’s 21 points, including 16 in the first half to help the Illini gain a seven-point halftime cushion. Tomislav Ivišić had 14 points and 11 rebounds and Wagler added 14 points — 13 in the second half — and five rebounds in a show of the Illini’s depth.
The Zvonimir Ivišić dunk and the second Stojaković slam were part of separate 7-0 and 9-0 runs in the second half to help the Illini pull away.
VCU had come back from a 19-point second-half deficit to upset North Carolina in the first round on Thursday. But Illinois kept its foot on the gas to pull off the victory.
“When a team goes on a run like that — not just us, any team — it’s just hard to stop that,” Tomislav Ivišić said. “The energy goes to another level, and we just tried to maximize that and play with that energy for the rest of the game, and I think we did a good job.”
Illinois led by as many as 12 in the first half. But VCU’s aggressive defense forced the Illini into eight first-half turnovers, including on two straight possessions during a 10-0 Rams run. Tyrell Ward’s rebound and basket tied the game at 23-23 with 5:02 to play in the half.
Tomislav Ivišić and David Mirković, who had started the game strongly on the offensive end, sat the final four minutes of the half with two fouls apiece. But Illinois pulled back into the lead thanks to Stojaković.
He scored 11 straight points for Illinois, including the big dunk and a pullup jumper with 34 seconds to play for a 35-28 halftime lead.
“The mindset is keep attacking until they stop the shot,” Stojaković said. “We’re going to continue to hunt really good shots, and that’s what we’ve been doing all year long. It doesn’t really matter who it is. We trust each other so much and we see how much we work every single day.
“It could have been me. It could have been David. It could have been Jake (Davis). It’s just who we are. We’re just going to continue to hunt those shots, and if it happens to be one player consecutively, we’ll take it.”
VCU played most of the game without starting guard Nyk Lewis, who appeared to suffer a right ankle injury in the first minute. Hill, who had 34 points against North Carolina, led the Rams with 17 points and seven rebounds.
But VCU couldn’t get enough going on the offensive end. The Rams shot 34.8% from the field and only shot six free throws. They committed 10 turnovers, which coach Phil Martelli Jr. said felt like 15 or 20. And the Illini outrebounded them 45-29.
“Holding that team to 55 points was remarkable,” Wagler said. “If we do that any game, then we should win, because our offense is so great.”
Now the Illini must bring that energy into what will amount to a road environment in the Sweet 16.
Houston, the 2025 national runner-up, beat Texas A&M 88-57 in the second round behind 18 points from senior guard Emanuel Sharp. Houston will be playing in its seventh straight Sweet 16, not counting the canceled 2020 postseason.
Underwood, with wet hair and wearing a towel around his neck from the postgame celebration, said the Illini were going to enjoy Saturday’s win for a night.
“We’re going to worry about Houston tomorrow,” he said.
