David Mirkovic vs Alex Karaban: Who Has the Edge in Illinois-UConn?

Mirkovic and Karaban are two of the most undervalued players left in the tournament. Who has the advantage in Saturday's Final Four showdown?

Nov 28, 2025; New York, New York, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) is guarded by UConn Huskies forward Alex Karaban (11) in the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Illinois vs. UConn on Saturday (5:09 p.m. CT, TBS) has no shortage of story lines. There is Brad Underwood vs. Dan Hurley. There is Keaton Wagler climbing onto his biggest stage yet. And there is the Final Four rematch that had been months in the making after UConn beat Illinois 74-61 back in November.

But among the other themes is maybe the most important individual battle of the evening, a matchup of two frontcourt players who do a little bit of everything for their teams: Illinois’ David Mirkovic and UConn’s Alex Karaban. One is a bruising freshman who has helped power Illinois back to its first Final Four since 2005. The other is a battle-tested veteran chasing even more history in March. So who has the edge in this weekend’s heavyweight bout?

The case for David Mirkovic

PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG%	FT%	3P%
13.5	8.1	2.6	0.4	0.3	1.9	48.7	76.1	37.6

The case for Mirkovic begins with his unicorn skill set. Offensively, he looks comfortable anywhere on the floor. Whether it's crossing over a defender at the top of the key, getting downhill and firing a lob to Zvonimir Ivisic or stepping into a three out of the pick-and-roll, as he did against Houston, Mirkovic has shown the full package. He can score, create and make quick reads in ways that very few frontcourt players can.

He has also been dominant on the glass. Mirkovic is averaging 11.0 rebounds per game in the NCAA Tournament and has been a bully around the rim, creating extra possessions and wearing teams down with his physicality. That rebounding has become one of the biggest reasons Illinois has looked so imposing during this March run.

BIG Z JAMS ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/HhnPXcxF9h

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026

Defensively, Mirkovic has continued to improve as the season has gone along. He has done a great job moving his feet against guards when Illinois needs him to, whether that has been hedging ball screens or walling up at the rim against drivers.

What once looked like an intriguing long-term skill set has quickly turned into elite two-way impact. At this point, Mirkovic has developed into one of the better big men in the country, and it's becoming harder and harder for Brad Underwood to justify taking him off the floor.

The case for Alex Karaban

PTS	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	FG%	FT%	3P%
13.2	5.2	2.3	0.8	0.8	1.1	47.5	85.3	38.6

The argument for Karaban starts with winning. There may not be a more accomplished winner in college basketball over the past four years. Karaban has now started on three Final Four teams and is chasing his third national championship, which is almost absurd in today’s sport, in which NIL and the NBA usually pull rosters apart before anything like that can happen.

A redshirt senior, Karaban has been outstanding again this season, and what makes him so valuable is that he can do just about everything. He may be the best connective piece in the country, the kind of player who keeps an entire system humming. He is an elite movement shooter, which makes him a perfect fit in Dan Hurley’s offense, constantly flying off screens and knocking down shots.

ALEX KARABAN CUTS IT TO ONE!!

📺 CBS and @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/x8ai4Sy08r

— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) March 29, 2026

Against Duke, he hit maybe the second-biggest shot of the game when he curled off a screen and buried a three with just over a minute left to cut UConn’s deficit from four to one. That shot felt even bigger considering he had not made a three to that point.

But Karaban is much more than a shooter. He can bring the ball up the floor, rebound, defend multiple positions and take on the best player on the other team when needed. He is a true Swiss Army Knife for UConn, which is why Hurley almost never takes him off the floor. Karaban is averaging 37.3 minutes per game in the NCAA Tournament, and that workload says everything about how much UConn trusts him.

Illinois on SI take

This is one of those debates in which there really is no wrong answer. Both players are capable of swinging the game, and either one could end up outplaying the other on Saturday. But with the margins this thin, the slight edge has to go to Karaban because of his experience.

Making a third Final Four is almost absurd on today’s college basketball landscape, and Karaban is clearly the emotional leader of the Huskies. His experience in these moments matters, and so does his off-ball movement, which could create problems for the less nimble Mirkovic unless Illinois counters with a different defensive look.

That's what makes this matchup so fascinating. Mirkovic has the talent to overwhelm Karaban with size and physicality, while Karaban has the polish and experience to make Illinois pay in more subtle ways. Either way, it feels like a battle that could go a long way toward deciding who plays for the national title.