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We are just two exhibition games into the season, but it already feels like Illinois basketball has played a gauntlet.
The Illini are coming off a game against Baylor where the Bears were thrashing us through the first half, but Illinois stormed back and made it a game. It was an exciting finish despite the result being a loss.
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David Mirkovic’s absence was very noticeable. The preseason first-team All-American has been sidelined since August after a fracture to his foot. Mirkovic was seen courtside, but he was wearing a walking boot again. Brad Underwood gave us a little update on Mirkovic in the postgame press conference.
“We will be without Mirk (David Mirkovic) for a little while. They put him back in a boot.”
Going from starting to practice a little bit to now being back in a boot is never a good sign. Underwood’s head is in the right place, though. He puts his player’s health first.
“I have said from day one, we are going to be very patient and diligent with that. We want to make sure that it heals correctly, and in a fashion that allows him to sustain not only for the year, but for the rest of his career.”
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The boot is a bad sign for someone who isn’t in the know. Thankfully, Underwood cleared up whether it was a setback or not.
“No setback. It’s all about making sure the scan shows that everything is correct. The screw is terrific, it is fine, it is in place. There is nothing there, it is just the extra time to make sure that it fully heals. There is nothing accountable to anything other than that.”
It sounds like Mirkovic will be out a little longer than expected. There are many areas where his absence has already hurt Illinois, but there is one glaring issue when he isn’t on the court.
Rebounding.
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Underwood sees this issue as well.
“He is one of the best rebounders in the country. So, who is going to step up?
Illinois did a fine job against Cincinnati in the first exhibition game, winning the rebounding battle 39-32. The game against…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/david-mirkovic-injury-puts-spotlight-122759033.html
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Publish date : 2026-10-25 12:27:00
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