When Illinois and Arkansas faced off on Thanksgiving this past year, the Ivisic brothers were the talk of the college basketball world.
The 7-foot twins from Croatia combined for 34 points, 16 rebounds, 4 steals, and 4 blocks in Illinois’ exciting 90-77 win in Kansas City. They shot a disgusting 60% (9-15) from beyond the arc as well.
Here are some of Tomi’s highlights from that game to jog your memory.
I think it’s safe to say that not many Illini fans expected to have both of the Ivisic brothers repping the orange and blue just a season later.
Twins teaming up to play college basketball together is nothing new. The Harrison twins had some great teams at Kentucky. The Morris brothers knocked Illinois out of the NCAA tournament with Kansas in 2011. The Boozer twins look like they’re going to be scary at Duke this season.
Tomislav and Zvonimir are more than just freakishly tall basketball players. To understand what makes them so unique, look no further than their shared shooting ability.
Big T shot 55-of-154 from deep in his debut collegiate season, good enough for 35.7% on the year. He shot 9-of-21 from deep in the NCAA tournament, and shined in the aforementioned Arkansas game, shooting 6-of-9 from three point range.
Big Z on the other hand took just 16 three pointers in his freshman year at Kentucky. He made 6 of those, converting at a 37.5% clip on the year. His volume took a huge leap in year 2 while his conversion rate remained stagnant, which was fantastic news for John Calipari. Zvonimir went 47-of-125 (37.6%) from deep in his sophomore season.
The Ivisic brothers are great free throw shooters as well. Tomislav shot 75.0% last year, while Zvonimir is a career 73.8% shooter from the charity stripe.
Have I mentioned that these guys are 7-foot-1 and 7-foot-2, respectively?
Only seven 7-footers attempted 100 or more three pointers in the 2024-25 college basketball season. The Ivisic twins had the two best three point percentages from that group. They’re on the same team now.
Shooting isn’t all that makes these guys special, however.
Illinois fans know how special Tomislav is as a passer and playmaker. His 2.3 assists per game ranked third on the Illinois roster last season. At 15.8%, his assist percentage ranked 7th out of 44 qualified 7 footers.
Zvonimir isn’t as good of a playmaker as Tomislav is, but he’s a better defender and shot blocker. His 1.9 blocks per game led the Arkansas roster last year. At 10.6%, his block percentage ranked 6th out of 44 qualified 7 footers.
So both players are incredible shooters for their size, and excel in another key aspect of the game that the other doesn’t necessarily dominate in? I think Brad Underwood can work with that. It’s possible we’ll even see the twins on the court at the same time for extended stretches given their versatility and athleticism.
It’s easy to forget that Big T battled mono for much of last season, while Big Z only logged 19.1 minutes per game at Arkansas. With the two reunited on the same team for the first time since 2023 when they played for SC Derby, it shouldn’t be a surprise if they ball out.