David Mirkovic Makes Illinois Basketball History In NCAA Tournament Win Over Penn

David Mirkovic set a few Illinois records during Thursday's 105-70 win over No. 13 seed Penn in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

But from his perspective, it didn't require anything extraordinary.

"That's what I do every day, even practices," said Mirkovic, a freshman from Montenegro. "And on games, I just crash the boards and try to bring that physicality. Balls on the offensive glass were just like magnets to me because I was crashing, and I got a lot of of easy points on the rim. That's what got me going and the whole team."

Here's the video, including this quote from Mirkovic.

"I just crash the board, trying to bring that physicality. Balls on offensive glass were just like magnets to me, because I was crashing."

(Video from NCAA) https://t.co/qZFUKCoeNb pic.twitter.com/RyCCe2KJJs
— Glenn Kinley (@glenn_kinley) March 20, 2026

Mirkovic set an Illinois rebounding record for an NCAA Tournament game with 17, eight of which came on the offensive glass. The previous record of 16 rebounds was set by Nick Anderson in 1989 and later tied by Brian Cook in 2003. Extending his team lead to 15 games of 10-plus rebounds, Mirkovic became the first Illinois freshman to grab at least 10 boards in an NCAA Tournament game.

Mirkovic's 29 points tied for fourth most among Illini in an NCAA Tournament game, trailing only Frank Williams (30 points vs. Kansas in 2001), Terrence Shannon Jr. (30 points vs. Duquesne in 2024) and Deron Williams (31 points vs. Cincinnati in 2004). He also set the Illinois freshman scoring record in the tournament, passing Will Riley's 22-point game against Xavier last season.

That combination of scoring and rebounding made Mirkovic the first Illinois player with at least 20 points and 15 rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game since Nick Anderson's 24-point, 16-rebound game against Syracuse in the 1989 Elite Eight. Mirkovic also became the second freshman in program history with a double-double in the tournament, joining Kasparas Jakucionis, who had 16 points and 10 assists last season against Xavier.

Illinois coach Brad Underwood thought Mirkovic's effort set the tone for the rest of the group.

"I thought he was the best player on the court tonight, especially in the first half," Underwood said. "His physicality, 10 rebounds in a half and 17 points. Again, we talk about those being our daily vitamins, is the rebounding piece, and a 28-14 advantage at half, and then it was just delivering body blows."

That made for perhaps Mirkovic's best game of the season. His 29 points marked a season high, passing his 27-point game against Colgate in November, when he grabbed a season-high 21 rebounds. It didn't require a sacrifice in efficiency either, as he made 11-of-17 attempts from the field and 4-of-7 three-point attempts.

"Mirkovic is on another level" 🤯#MarchMadness @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/z78SFyCYR6
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 20, 2026

The big game helped the Illini cruise to a 35-point win and advance to the Round of 32 for the third straight season. Next up is a matchup with No. 11 seed VCU – which overcame a 19-point deficit to defeat No. 6 seed North Carolina – on Saturday at 6:50 p.m. CT on CBS.

And if Illinois is going to make a deep run, Mirkovic's versatility and effort will continue to be vital.