No. 17 Illinois has an international flavor, but its leader is a hometown point guard

Illinois (22-13, 12-8 Big Ten)

Coach Brad Underwood made news by bringing in highly touted players from overseas, but most likely it will be the returnees who will determine if the No. 17 Illini have another successful season. Point guard Kylan Boswell from Champaign and Tomislav Ivisic are back, along with sharpshooters Jake Davis and Ben Humrichous, who have been given bigger roles this season. The four accumulated 45% of the Illini’s minutes, 41% of the team’s points and 43% of its rebounds last year. Their experience is needed to help the new Illinois players get acclimated to Underwood’s systems and his tough love approach to coaching.

Players to watch

Boswell, who is one of the Big Ten’s best on-ball defenders, came on strong at the end of last season, averaging nearly 17 points per game over the Illini’s final eight games.

Ivisic had an illness-plagued season last year, but still managed to average 13 points and 7.7 rebounds a game. The 7-1 Ivisic and his twin brother, 7-2 Zvonimir Ivisic, who are from Croatia, are dangerous outside shooters for big men.

Departures and arrivals

Illinois will miss one-and-done players Kasparas Jakucionis (15.0 ppg, 156 assists) and Will Riley (12.6 ppg), who were NBA draft picks. Also gone are Tre White (10.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Morez Johnson Jr. (6.7 rpg), who transferred to Michigan. The transfer portal brought the Illini two stars from other conferences: Zvonimir Ivisic from Arkansas and Andrej Stojakovic from California, who averaged nearly 18 points per game last season. Freshman recruits Brandon Lee, a 2,000-point scorer out of New Jersey, and Keaton Wagler, the Gatorade Player of the Year in Kansas, will vie for playing time. Mihailo Petrovic (Serbia) and David Mirkovic (Montenegro) add to the international flavor.

Top games

The Illini will open Monday at home against Jackson State. Seven ranked teams are on their schedule, including three in less than three weeks on neutral courts: No. 15 Alabama on Nov. 19 at the United Center in Chicago; No. 4 UConn on Nov. 28 at Madison Square Garden; and No. 18 Tennessee on Dec. 6 in Nashville. Illinois’ lone Big Ten game against No. 1 Purdue is on the road Jan. 24.

Facts and figures

Illinois is one of only four teams in the nation with six straight 20-win regular seasons and the only team with a winning Big Ten record in each of those seasons. … The Illini are one of 13 teams to play in the last five NCAA Tournaments.