May I have your attention please: Illinois basketball is officially back.
Wow, what a game on Monday night. The Illini took center stage and performed admirably, as Jackson State was drowning in the three-point shooting that Illinois brought to the table.
You can’t put too much on this victory because it is Jackson State, but Illinois looked like a much-improved three-point shooting team. We have some new players who are injecting life into the lineup, and the future seems extremely bright.
Illinois was one three-pointer shy of tying the program record on Monday night. This great shooting led the Illini to a huge 113-55 win over Jackson State.
Here are five massive observations from the Illinois basketball win over Jackson State
1. David Mirkovic continues to wow
I loved what I saw from Illinois in the exhibition game against Illinois State. The player who stood out the most in that game was David Mirkovic.
While I was pleased with what Mirkovic did against Illinois State, you had to take it with a grain of salt. It was just an exhibition game. What Mirkovic did on Monday night was solidify something I have been thinking. I think this kid is one of the best players on the team, if not the best player.
I know that sounds like hyperbole, but I truly believe Mirkovic has a skillset that is rare. He wowed me against Jackson State, going for 19 points, 14 rebounds, and four assists. Mirkovic also shot 7-of-10 from the field and 2-of-4 from three-point range.
Offensively, Mirkovic can shoot from all levels. He is great inside, but you can’t slack off of him on the perimeter or he will knock down a three-pointer. He is a great facilitator of the ball, too. Mirkovic gets to the perimeter, and Illinois runs well with the pick-and-roll off of him. He starts setting screens, and this enables the offense to run well.
On the defensive end of the court, Mirkovic is no slouch either. He brings the energy and gives everything he has ever possession. As a freshman, Mirkovic is already one of the best players on the team. I think he could easily be an All-Big Ten type of player this season.
2. Illinois could be a dangerous 3-point shooting team
Last season was pretty depressing when it came to shooting the basketball. Illinois was one of the worst teams in the country when it came to three-point shooting, and it was a shock that we could still get to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
Illinois shot 31.3% from three-point range in 2024-25. That was bad enough to rank No. 305 out of 364 teams in DI basketball. All I was looking for was any type of improvement from this horrendous shooting squad.
It might just be Jackson State, but I think Illinois isn’t just improved. I think we might be a dangerous three-point shooting team this season.
Illinois purged the bad three-point shooters from last year’s squad. Kasparas Jakucionis is in the NBA, and he shot 31.8%. Will Riley had the same fate, and he shot 32.6%. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn was at 25.5%. Tre White was at 32.9%.
Brad Underwood went out and replaced those guys with some talent that looks like they can shoot from three-point range. David Mirkovic is the biggest eye-opener. He was 50% from three-point range against Jackson State. Keaton Wagler was 2-of-2 as well.
Those two helped inject some life into the Illinois three-point shooting. There is also a natural progression in the Underwood offense. Kylan Boswell shot 25% last season, and he was 40% on Monday night. I was pleased with Jake Davis, Tomislav Ivisic, and Ben Humrichous’ shooting as well.
There was a lot more movement against Jackson State. Illinois was setting screens more often, and we were trying to find space rather than just standing around and winging up a contested shot. Dare I say, this Illinois team might be pretty good from three-point range in 2025-26.
3. The Illini are still missing key players
Illinois was impressive on Monday night against Jackson State. When you put up 113 points against any DI program, that is a great feat.
I mentioned Illinois being a talented three-point shooting team and how good the additions have been thus far. Well, don’t forget, the Illini were missing a ton of players against Jackson State.
Jake Davis and Keaton Wagler, both starters on Monday night, will most likely be the second rotation for the Illini. They played extremely well, and that will be what Illinois has coming off the bench, along with Ben Humrichous and Zvonimir Ivisic.
Illinois didn’t have our talented point guard, Mihailo Petrovic, last night. He averaged over seven assists per game overseas last season. Andrej Stojakovic was another big piece that was missing. He was the prized transfer portal addition who averaged 17.9 points with Cal in 2024-25.
Those two players will be starting for Illinois once healthy. We also had a nice depth piece in Brandon Lee out with an injury. He will be a main player in the second rotation, too.
Illinois put up 113 points and beat another DI program by 58 points on Monday night. That was without three big players on the roster who were out with injury. This team could be pretty special.
4. Jake Davis is still bringing the hustle
There was a lot that stood out on Monday night. Illinois looked good on both ends of the court, and the new talent was fun to watch.
Throughout the game, there are always little things that stick out to me. One of those little things was Jake Davis and the hustle he brought to the court.
All players are out there giving it their all, but Davis was flying around the court and making the most of his time. He knows he isn’t going to start this season, but what Davis shows Brad Underwood and the coaching staff will go a long way in determining how many minutes he gets down the road.
Davis finished the Jackson State game with 13 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one steal. He didn’t have a single turnover, and he shot 45.5% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range.
All of those numbers are really good, but I think Davis’ hustle is what is even more impressive. Illinois had this game in hand early on. Davis could have stood around and just jacked up shots the entire night. Instead of doing that, Davis was still hustling for every ball he could.
There was one occasion that stuck out to me when Illinois shot the ball, and it went hard off the rim. We were up by quite a few at the time, but Davis still came from the wing and skyed for a rebound around the free throw line. This enabled Illinois to have another possession.
I know it isn’t a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but Davis' hustling even when the game is not on the line stands out to me. This kid is going to be a spark plug off the bench for the Illini. He is someone fans will rally around when we need something extra. Davis shows me he will give that effort night in and night out, and that is pretty awesome.
5. The size Illinois brings to the table is wild
This Illinois team brings a ton of talent to the court. From top to bottom, I am excited about the potential of this program in 2025-26.
With that being said, on multiple occasions on Monday night, I said to myself, Wow, this is a massive team. Illinois just has giants lumbering around out on the court, and we are going to be so tough to deal with this season.
At one time on the court, Brad Underwood did what I was hoping he would do. Both Ivisic brothers were playing together. Tomislav, 7-foot-1, and Zvonimir, 7-foot-2, were both playing in and around the paint for the Illini. That was a fun sight, as they had such a height advantage over Jackson State.
But it was more than just those two towering over the competition. When those two were on the court, Illinois also had Ben Humrichous flying around the court. He is 6-foot-9. I believe David Mirkovic was also out there at 6-foot-9.
It is kind of wild to think that all four of those players I mentioned can also shoot from three-point range. You can’t just expect them to bang around in the paint. They can stretch the floor and make you guard them on the perimeter.
This is the biggest Illinois team I have ever seen. We can throw size at you every night, and I am not sure how teams are going to game plan for multiple seven-footers and wings who are 6-foot-9. Let the games begin.