David Mirkovic’s foot surgery on Tuesday rattled Illinois fans right away, but the first real bit of optimism came later that night from Jeff Goodman of The Field of 68.
“According to my sources, he’ll be out 6-8 weeks,” Goodman said.
The school has not announced a timetable for Mirkovic’s return, so that update remains unofficial. Still, Goodman is a long-established college basketball voice with a track record that carries weight, and for Illini Nation, that range sounds a lot better than the worst-case fear.
If that 6-8 week window proves accurate, the high end of the concern starts to shrink fast. A return by late September would give Mirkovic more than a month to get back into game shape, settle back in with his teammates and rediscover his rhythm before the season.
That said, the missed time would still matter. Mirkovic would lose two months of practice reps and the chance to keep building on what had reportedly been a huge offseason. That kind of interruption is never ideal, even if the calendar ends up breaking kindly.
There is also a ripple effect inside the roster while he’s out. Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic could log more minutes together in practice, which might end up helping Illinois once the games begin. Without Ben Humrichous, the most common lineups figure to feature some combination of the Ivisic twins and Mirkovic, though Andrej Stojakovic could slide to the four at times.
Mirkovic won’t be on the floor every minute, though, and that means the twins will likely have to share it at some point. Both have issues in ball-screen action, and Big Z often drifts toward the perimeter on offense, something Tomislav also did at times in the 2025-26 season. Working together in practice could force solutions on defense and also push Tomislav to establish himself deeper in the paint and be more demanding on offense.
If that pairing can bring out the best in both players, Illinois would have a frontcourt with rim protection, rebounding and spacing that can really overwhelm people - with Mirkovic back in the mix as one of the nation’s top players.
For now, though, the key number is still that 6-8 week estimate. If Mirkovic is back to 100 percent by late September, or even mid-October, Illinois should be able to keep moving forward without losing much momentum, and the Illini would head into 2026-27 as the Big Ten favorite with a healthy Mirkovic.
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His path to Spokane comes with an unusual twist, as he will use an additional year of eligibility tied to an Ohio lawsuit and arrive for the 2026-27 season. For Gonzaga, the appeal is obvious: Bennett has the kind of two-way experience and facilitation chops that can ease pressure on the perimeter and give the roster a more stable lead guard presence. [Read more 🡒]