David Mirković Is Poised for a Breakout Sophomore Season at Illinois

David Mirković does not need to prove that he belongs at Illinois. He already did that during his freshman season.

The Montenegro native arrived in Champaign with plenty of intrigue, but by the end of the 2025-26 season, Mirković had established himself as one of the most important players on Illinois’ roster. He started 36 of 37 games, averaged 13.3 points and 8.0 rebounds per game, and helped the Illini make a run all the way to the Final Four.

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Now comes the interesting part.

Mirković enters his sophomore season with a year of Big Ten basketball, postseason experience and a much better understanding of what Illinois needs from him. The question is no longer whether he can contribute. It is how much more he can give the Illini in year two.

And there is already plenty of evidence suggesting the answer could be: quite a lot.

Mirković’s freshman season was impressive enough on its own.

He averaged 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game while shooting 48.4 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from three-point range. He also collected 297 rebounds, setting an Illinois freshman record.

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The bigger the stage became, the more comfortable Mirković appeared.

He scored 22 points against Ohio State, 25 against Indiana and posted 22 points and 11 rebounds against Maryland. Then came the NCAA Tournament, where he opened with 29 points and 17 rebounds against Penn.

That performance set Illinois freshman NCAA Tournament records for both points and rebounds.

He followed it with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Houston in the Sweet 16 and 12 rebounds against Iowa in the Elite Eight.

For a freshman playing a major role on a Final Four team, it was an impressive introduction.

But now the expectations have changed.

Mar 28, 2026; Houston, TX, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) reacts in the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes during an Elite Eight game of the South Regional of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit:…

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Publish date : 2026-09-22 22:00:00

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