We’re not even two full weeks into this season and it’s already clear that the freshman class is historically great. Kansas’ Darryn Peterson, BYU’s AJ Dybantsa and Duke’s Cameron Boozer are the headliners – partly because they were the consensus top three prospects in the class of 2025, partly because most expect them to finish first, second and third (in some order) in the 2026 NBA draft.
They’re all great, there’s no denying that.
But as I’ve noted before, the list of freshmen doesn’t stop there. Tennessee’s Nate Ament is also among them. Arizona’s Koa Peat is also included. Caleb Wilson from North Carolina is also among them. Neoklis Aydalas from Virginia Tech is also among them. And after what he did Friday night, it looks like Illinois’ David Mirkovic is in the mix, too.
The 6-foot-4 forward from Montenegro took 16 shots, made half of them and finished with 27 points and 21 rebounds in the Ilinini’s 84-65 win over Colgate. In doing so, Mirkovic became the first Illinois player to have 20-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a game since Nick Weatherspoon did so in 1972.
After practice was over, Illinois coach Brad Underwood said he and Mirkovic had gone back and forth during practice earlier in the week. It is clear that everything that happened during training translated positively into the game.
“I think he’ll tell you that I’ve been watching him pretty closely for a few days now because his performance is rebounding,” Underwood said.
The result was 21 boards for Mirkovic against Colgate: 13 defensive, eight offensive. He grabbed fifteen rebounds more than any Colgate player. He beat Colgate’s entire starting lineup by four.
Mirkovic is now averaging 18.5 points and 12.5 rebounds in four games with the Illini. He’s the biggest reason Illinois is ranked No. 12 in Saturday morning’s updated CBS Sports Top 25 and 1 daily basketball rankings, where Purdue remains No. 1 for the seventh day in a row.
Top 25 and 1 rankings
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