Peja Stojakovic Son as the Elite Eight spotlight arrives: Andrej Stojakovic’s Illinois surge
peja stojakovic son is back in the national conversation as Andrej Stojakovic continues to deliver for Illinois men’s basketball in March Madness, entering an Elite Eight matchup with Iowa at 12: 00 a. m. ET framing the Illini’s push for a long-awaited breakthrough.
What Happens When Peja Stojakovic Son becomes Illinois’ swing piece in March?
Andrej Stojakovic has been an impact scorer off the bench this season for head coach Brad Underwood and Illinois, and he has positioned himself as one of the top impact first-year transfers still playing deep into the tournament.
Illinois, seeded No. 3, is set to face No. 9 Iowa in the Elite Eight on Saturday, March 28 (ET), with the program seeking its first Final Four appearance since 1989. Inside that bigger storyline, Stojakovic’s role has sharpened from “valuable” to potentially decisive: Illinois will need another impact game off the bench to keep its run alive.
Stojakovic’s tournament arc has been defined by a quick pivot. After a quiet first-round outing against No. 14 Pennsylvania, he surged in the following rounds, scoring 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting against No. 11 VCU in the second round. He followed that with 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting in Illinois’ upset win over No. 2 Houston.
Across Illinois’ three tournament wins, he is averaging 14. 3 points per game and has shot 53. 6% from the field. Entering the Elite Eight, he is also listed as Illinois’ third-leading scorer at 13. 9 points per game on 49. 5% shooting, with eight games of at least 20 points going into the regional final.
What If the NBA bloodline factor helps steady Illinois under pressure?
One reason the spotlight has broadened beyond the box score is the clear family connection: Andrej Stojakovic is the son of former NBA small forward Peja Stojakovic, a 13-year NBA veteran. Peja Stojakovic played in the NBA for the Sacramento Kings, Indiana Pacers, New Orleans Hornets, Toronto Raptors, and Dallas Mavericks. He earned three All-Star selections with the Kings and was part of the 2010–11 Mavericks team that won the 2011 NBA Finals.
Peja Stojakovic has been in the stands watching Illinois before the Men’s NCAA Tournament, and that presence has mattered to the younger Stojakovic. Andrej Stojakovic described the value of real-time feedback and perspective after an Illinois game in November, pointing to how he looks to his father during timeouts and how postgame feedback extends to both him and his teammates.
For Illinois, the question is less about narrative and more about utility: in a tournament where small stretches can decide outcomes, the ability to reset quickly—after a miss, after a turnover, after an opponent’s run—often separates teams that advance from teams that go home. Stojakovic’s recent efficiency and his defined scoring role off the bench make him a natural barometer for Illinois’ offensive steadiness.
What Happens When transfer decisions reshape March matchups?
Stojakovic’s impact is also being viewed through the lens of a high-stakes roster decision. After spending one season at Stanford and one season at Cal, he decided another change was needed and entered the transfer portal again after his sophomore season. Three teams were immediately in mind for him: Illinois, UNC, and Stanford (for a second time).
It took one day for Stojakovic to decide to play under Brad Underwood at Illinois, a quick outcome that left UNC on the outside looking in. The framing around that decision has only intensified as Illinois advanced while UNC exited the NCAA Tournament early. In that same conversation, Stojakovic’s production in this tournament—14. 3 points per game, with a 21-point high against VCU—has been used as a reference point for what a proven scoring guard can mean in March.
There has also been pointed attention on what it took for Illinois to secure him. The details of any deal were not disclosed, but the conclusion drawn in the discussion is that Underwood prioritized landing Stojakovic and ensured he arrived in Champaign. From Illinois’ perspective, the payoff is visible: Stojakovic has already helped power wins in the first weekend and is now positioned to influence whether the Illini reach the Final Four stage they have been chasing since 1989.
As Saturday’s Elite Eight game approaches, the immediate storyline is simple: Illinois needs scoring punch and composure, and Andrej Stojakovic has provided both at key moments. The broader storyline is even sharper—when a roster move can swing a season, peja stojakovic son can become the name that defines the bracket’s turning points.
