Illinois' David Mirkovic Dominates Against Colgate

As far as Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is concerned, everything begins with rebounding – and no one on the Illini roster embodies that more than freshman forward David Mirkovic.

Mirkovic, a 6-foot-9, 250-pounder, was considered a tremendous rebounder during his days in Europe with the Adriatic League’s SC Derby. But the question remained: Could he translate it to the Division I level?

David Mirkovic pushes Illinois past Colgate

The answer would seem to to be a hard yes. On Friday night against Colgate, Mirkovic registered a career best in both rebounding and points, posting 27 points and 21 rebounds, along with three assists – good for the first 20-20 game for an Illini in 53 years.

David Mirkovic’s on fire 🔥

🟠 27 points
🟠 21 rebound
🟠 Third double-double in four games
🟠 First 20-20 for @IlliniMBB in over 50 years pic.twitter.com/9CbVjkHIBR
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) November 15, 2025

Arguably the early frontrunner for Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Mirkovic continues to impress through four games in the 2025-26 campaign.

Mirkovic is skilled with his back to the basket, has the softest of touches, can put the ball on the floor, step out and hit a triple, drop dimes to his teammates and control the glass on both sides of the floor. He’s not a high-flying athlete, but he is physical, fundamental and has that innate, Bill Russell-like ability to predict where the ball is going to come off the rim.

Coast-to-coast 😳

Subscribe/watch on B1G+ https://t.co/WexJfPhFf1 pic.twitter.com/aCaFmgAD8A
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 15, 2025

Against the Raiders, Mirkovich did it all. He knocked down three bombs from distance, went 8-for-8 from the line and dominated the boards. His 21 nearly matched Colgate’s 29 as a team, and he was the primary reason Illinois won the glass by 20 (Illinois totaled 40).

Mirkovic’s averages now sit at an astonishing 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in four games. It's worth noting that his lowest totals in rebounding and scoring came against Illinois’ lone high-major opponent to this point in Texas Tech.

From the rebound to the three!

Subscribe/watch on B1G+ https://t.co/WexJfPhFf1 pic.twitter.com/4h2f4AtRlC
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 15, 2025

Against the Red Raiders, he had just 11 points and four rebounds in 36 minutes. So can Mirkovic take a step forward and maintain his production against Alabama on Wednesday?

Why Mirkovic may be in line to continue his play against Alabama

The Illini will certainly need him to do that if they want to add another top-25 victory to their resume. And after the Crimson Tide just yielded 19 points and 15 rebounds – including eight offensive boards – to Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn on Thursday, there’s no reason to believe Mirkovic won’t have the opportunity to shine against Alabama.

And although Mirkovic may not be quite at Kaufman-Renn’s level just yet in terms of offensive skill and ability, he also likely won’t have a double team consistently sent his way – as Kaufman-Renn was forced to deal with – giving him more space to operate.

With Illinois’ perimeter shooting across the board, Alabama simply can’t afford to send two in Mirkovic’s direction, meaning he’ll often be left alone on an island.

If Mirkovic can find success in the post and around the rack while knocking down a few triples against the Crimson Tide, the Illini very well may find themselves not just leaving the United Center with a win but a comfortable one.