Andrej Stojakovic Faces 11:59 p.m. ET NBA Draft Deadline
Andrej Stojakovic faces tonight’s 11:59 p.m. ET NCAA withdrawal deadline with one year of college eligibility left and a choice that will settle his immediate future. He must decide whether to stay in the 2026 NBA Draft or return to Illinois, where he already proved central to the program’s run to the Final Four.
Stojakovic and the deadline
The 6-foot-7 Illinois guard first said about a month ago that he would return to Champaign for his senior season. A few days later, he changed course and declared for the NBA Draft, putting his status into the final hours before the cutoff.
That turn leaves Illinois waiting on a player who averaged 13.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in the regular season. He followed that with 13.8 points and 4.0 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament, when he earned NCAA Tournament All-South Region Team honors.
Illinois and Indiana
Stojakovic’s value to the Illini is not limited to the box score. He played a vital role in Illinois’ Final Four run this past season, and his decision now shapes whether Brad Underwood gets him back for another year or has to move on without him.
The ripple reaches Indiana as well. Stojakovic missed the rivalry matchup against the Hoosiers this past season with an ankle injury, and the teams are slated to meet in Bloomington this upcoming season.
Bloomington matchup
For Darian DeVries and Indiana, the timing matters because a return would put a 6-foot-7 scorer back on the Illinois side of that matchup. For Illinois, the choice lands at the center of roster planning before the withdrawal deadline closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. ET.
What happens next is simple: Stojakovic either remains in the draft pool or comes back to Champaign with one year of eligibility still available. Either way, his call settles one of the clearest roster questions hanging over Illinois and the Bloomington meeting that follows.
