Basketball
Mihailo Petrovic to miss Illini basketball season opener
The Illini are already starting the season shorthanded. When will this full roster come together?
Mihailo Petrovic will reportedly miss the Illinois basketball season opener on November 3rd vs Jackson State. The Field of 68’s Jeff Goodman reported that Petrovic, who was just recently cleared by the NCAA, will miss the Illini‘s opener with an ongoing hamstring injury. Petrovic arrived on campus in late August and was very impressive to start off. However, he started to struggle with a hamstring injury, which only allowed him to play limited minutes in the exhibition vs Florida. The 22-year-old guard averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 assists per game for KK Mega Superbet. He is certainly expected to play a huge role for the Illini, as Kylan Boswell tends to thrive in an off-ball position
What does this mean?
Mihailo Petrovic missing the game vs Jackson State is not the end of the world. In fact, it is a prime opportunity for freshman Keaton Wagler to get some significant minutes. Wagler has impressed throughout the entire offseason and has earned the trust of the coaching staff. However, this is still quite significant news for the Illini. 8 days after the season opener vs Jackson State, Illinois basketball hosts Texas Tech, a team with final-four potential, at the State Farm Center. If Petrovic is not available for the season opener, it is certainly possible that Petrovic will miss the blockbuster vs Texas Tech.
On top of that, Andrej Stojakovic also missed the exhibition vs Florida. Though Illinois is talented, its full roster will not have all that time to create chemistry before the gauntlet of the non-conference schedule starts.
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