David Mirkovic gives Brad Underwood exactly what he had been asking for vs. Penn

After the Illinois Fighting Illini lost to the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Tournament, head coach Brad Underwood didn't hold back on what he needed from his team for them to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament.

Then, as the Big Dance got underway and the Fighting Illini faced the Pennsylvania Quakers in the First Round, freshman forward David Mirkovic gave Underwood exactly what he had been asking for.

"Someone needs to give a s--- to go get a rebound. Someone needs to get nasty," Underwood said just a few days before the Illini played their first NCAA Tournament game of the year.

By halftime, Mirkovic had already racked up 10 rebounds, alongside an equally impressive 17 points, to push the Illini to their 10-point lead over the Quakers.

Illinois Fighting Illini finally leaning into rebounds

Now, this is by no means to say that Illinois had an abysmal regular season because of its rebounding numbers. The Fighting Illini entered the NCAA Tournament with a 24-8 overall record after all.

However, Underwood wanted more from his players, especially those like Mirkovic, who stands at 6-foot-9 and 255 pounds.

By halftime against Penn, the Illini had doubled the Quakers' boards, bringing down 28 rebounds as a team and only giving 14 rebounds to its opponent.

If you're Underwood, you would have to be more than pleased by the first-half performance, regardless of the size of the lead.

Beyond the play off the glass, the Illini shot a highly respectable 27 percent from beyond the arc, another point of focus for Underwood to get his team ready for the NCAA Tournament.

"It'd be nice to shoot the ball a little better... We haven't been great the last couple games from three," Underwood said. "I think defensive rebounding. I think it's one possession. I don't think it's a lot. I think we're doing a lot of things really well. I was frustrated with our rebounding the last couple games."

While the entire second half still remained, the 10-point lead and dominance off the glass should set Underwood at ease (at least momentarily) as Illinois works to advance to the Round of 32 over Penn, where the winner would face the VCU Rams.