Illinois basketball got a small but meaningful injury update on Thursday, and it centered on preseason All-American David Mirkovic.
Brad Underwood said Mirkovic is no longer in a boot and has begun the early stages of his return process.
“He’s (David Mirkovic) out of the boot. He’s starting his process. He has an appointment today for his appendix and how that is looking.”
That’s not a dramatic breakthrough, but it is progress. For an Illinois team that has already had to play without Mirkovic and Jake Davis, any sign that one of its biggest pieces is moving in the right direction matters.
Underwood also said Mirkovic has begun working back in the pool and on the AlterG, and that he is shooting again.
“He starts his procedural process back in pools and AlterG. He is shooting a basketball again, which means his stomach is in an okay spot where it is not too painful.”
The appendix issue clearly complicated the recovery, but the fact that Mirkovic is back to shooting without pain suggests that hurdle is getting smaller. For Illinois, that’s the kind of update worth paying attention to.
The Illini are 2-1 to start the 2026-27 season, with their lone loss coming by six points on the road against No. 16 Texas Tech. They’ve looked solid at times even without Mirkovic and Davis, and they pushed the Red Raiders in the second half after a rough opening 20 minutes.
Still, Mirkovic’s absence has been felt most on the glass. Illinois leads the country in rebounding at 53.0 per game, but that number has been inflated by blowout-level performances against lesser opponents. Against Texas Tech, the real issue showed up: Illinois was beaten on the boards 43-32.
That’s where Mirkovic matters most. He led the team with 8.0 rebounds per game last season, and that kind of production has been missing.
In the Texas Tech game, Illinois leaned heavily on its freshmen to help fill the gap. Quentin Coleman, Ethan Brown, Lincoln Williams, Zavier Zens, and Lucas Morillo combined for 16 of the team’s 32 rebounds.
Illinois has been competitive without two key players, but it’s hard to call this group a top-five team without them. The update on Mirkovic won’t put him back on the floor immediately, but it does show the recovery is moving forward. For now, that’s enough to count as good news.
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