David Mirkovic Revives 'Booty Ball' to Push Illinois Past Penn State

Illinois freshman forward David Mirkovic came out of the gates blazing hot to start off his collegiate career. He put together a 20-20 performance (27 points and 21 rebounds against Colgate) and was superb throughout the vast majority of the Illini’s non-conference slate.

That said, aside from a tremendous 22-point, nine-rebound performance against Ohio State, the 6-foot-9 forward hadn’t found his footing against high-major opponents – until Saturday night.

Illinois' David Mirkovic shines in win over Penn State

Facing Penn State at the Palestra in Philadelphia, Mirkovic was away from home against a Big Ten foe, yet appeared to be as comfortable as a baby swaddled in a blanket. His stat line was sterling – 13 points, 10 rebounds and three assists – but how he reached those totals was even more impressive.

Extremely active on the offensive glass, Mirkovic had five offensive boards and kept a number of other balls alive – including a handful during a pivotal stretch late in the second half. He isn’t an Olympic-level athlete, but when his combination of size, physicality, anticipation and sheer effort all come together, it may be second to none.

Yet his glass-cleaning wasn’t even the most head-turning aspect of his performance – it was his facilitating. Mirkovic had only the three assists, but he was Illinois’ go-to creator in the absence of guard Keaton Wagler (who was limited to 20 minutes because of foul trouble).

The Illini channeled their offense through Mirkovic in the post, living through him by way of "Booty Ball," a role few thrive in like the freshman forward has. At 255 pounds, Mirkovic can back down defenders all the way from the three-point line, and he’s unbelievably effective against the frequent double teams that come his way in those situations.

He has that unteachable feel and awareness to understand when the second defender is coming, along with the innate ability to recognize where and when to fire the pass. Mirkovic always stays calm, takes a back-out dribble when necessary and is shockingly accurate with his passes.

A pinpoint dime to Jake Davis was the clearest example of Mirkovic’s ability to pass the rock (watch below), but he consistently made the right play – even though the raw stats don't exactly reflect that.

Jake Davis for three 💪 @IlliniMBB

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/pUmxIVvx8O
— Big Ten Men's Basketball (@B1GMBBall) January 4, 2026

Mirkovic's kick-outs from the post often triggered a string of swing passes around the perimeter that resulted in wide-open looks – even if too many of them failed to connected (Illinois shot 6-for-27 from deep).

“He’s an action guy,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said of Mirkovic. "He’s a terrific ball-handler. He’s always got his head up. He’s a great, great passer. We made a nice little run there in the second half, and he had a couple of nice little passes and just in some Booty Ball stuff.

“His youth as a point guard allows him to do those things. He’s comfortable in it. But to do that at 6-foot-9, 255 pounds is a nice advantage to have. But [on] a night he didn’t shoot the ball very well from the three ... he stayed in it mentally and was just a great action guy for us, a great creator for us.”

Most encouragingly, the performance should be replicable. Mirkovic didn’t force, he didn’t overthink and he has never appeared so in control – especially in a high-major matchup. This version of Mirkovic appearing on a night-to-night basis may not exactly elevate Illinois’ ceiling drastically, but it certainly elevates the floor – which is perhaps even more important in this moment.