Illini Freshman David Mirkovic turns heads with stellar exhibition performance

Illinois basketball is back! Though the 2025-2026 season has not officially started, the Illini saw the court for an exhibition vs the Illinois State Redbirds. Both teams were missing key pieces. Illinois State was missing their top players, while the Illini were missing three starters in Mihailo Petrovic, Tomislav Ivisic and Andrej Stojakovic. However, the Illini looked solid and had a business-like approach to a team that is supposed to compete in the Missouri Valley Conference. Illinois took it to the Redbirds 92-65 behind some very impressive performances from their freshmen. Most notably, David Mirkovic turned some heads with his stellar, versatile game.

Mirkovic finished with 19 points, 14 rebounds, and 6 assists. The Serbian forward dominated the glass, which is not unexpected. However, he showed a great deal of playmaking potential both on the fastbreak and in the half-court. He showed confidence and showed off his passing ability. David Mirkovic will definitely have ups and downs as his freshman year goes on; however, that was certainly encouraging for a player who is fighting for a starting power-forward spot. If Mirkovic can have this kind of performance vs high-major opponents, watch out for the Illini.

The Illini will play a closed door exhibition vs the defending national Champions, the Florida Gators before season tip-off on November 3rd.

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