The 2025-26 season was up and down for Illinois wing Andrej Stojakovic – until the NCAA Tournament. Before the Big Dance tipped off, Stojakovic, a highly touted transfer from Cal, enjoyed stretches of dominance with the Illini (notably three straight games of 20 or more points early in the season) but also some duds. How did Stojakovic, a downhill-oriented wing, fit in with this group? That was the question Illinois had been asking itself, and failing to answer, for all of 30-some games. As a seemingly last-ditch effort, the Illini tried moving Stojakovic into a reserve role. After a 22-point game here and a 21-point, 12-rebound game there, Brad Underwood and his staff elected to stick with Stojakovic coming off the bench – a role he has more than embraced.  Now, in the tournament, Stojakovic is only up. Averaging 15.0 points through four games, Stojakovic is playing his most consistently productive – and efficient (59.5 percent from the field in four tournament games) – basketball.…