Basketball
Illinois basketball has two of the best freshmen in the country
The Illini have two of the best freshmen in the entire country.
Illinois basketball currently sits at 4-0 on the season, including a marquee home victory over the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Despite struggling with various injuries, the Illini look like a team to be reckoned with. With starting forward Andrej Stojakovic slowly coming back from injury, and key players Tomislav Ivisic and Mihailo Petrovic sitting out with nagging injuries, the Illini have been led by two first-year college basketball players. David Mirkovic and Keaton Wagler were both under-the-radar additions for the Illini when you compare the amount of buzz Stojakovic, Petrovic, and Zvonimir Ivisic made. In fact, many were trying to figure out how much the two would play this year.
Four games in, Mirkovic and Wagler have had major performances to help lift the Illini and are establishing themselves as freshmen of the year candidates in the Big Ten.
David Mirkovic: 31.5 mpg, 18.5 ppg, 12.5 rbg, 2.3 apg on 50% from the Field
Mirkovic is slowly becoming the go-to guy on this team. The 6-foot-9-inch forward from Montenegro can do everything on the court. He can rebound, bring the ball up the court, finish around the rim, and shoot the three-ball. Against Colgate, David Mirkovic dropped a historic 27-point and 21-rebound performance. When Tomislav Ivisic comes back, Mirkovic should only benefit as the floor will start to open up even more. Mirkovic has elite passing ability for his size and underrated finishing ability at the rim. Just look at this scoop layup vs Florida Gulf Coast.
Keaton Wagler: 30.8 mpg, 17.5 ppg, 6.5 rbg on 48.6% from the field and 35.7% from 3pt land.
Keaton Wagler was a four-star recruit out of Shawnee, Kansas. Besides Illinois basketball, Keaton only held offers from Minnesota, Drake, Murray State, and a few other mid-major schools. Wagler has come in and owned the starting guard spot for the Illini. The freshman guard plays 30.8 minutes a game and plays with a poise beyond his years. Keaton plays like an upperclassman and is an extremely effective ball-handler. With how physical and experienced the Big Ten is, Keaton will face plenty of challenges ahead. However, he is slowly becoming one of the most important pieces on this Illini team.
When Keaton is on the bench for the Illini, the offense clearly slows up and starts to stagnate. Wagler has an extremely bright college basketball career, and the Illini are certainly lucky to have him on their side.
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