Tomorrow marks the start of Illinois basketball, as we take on Cincinnati in an exhibition game.
While we won’t get to watch the game because it is not viewable for some reason, it is still exciting that the Illini are starting actual game action.
Brad Underwood has put together a great team once again, led by preseason first-team All-American David Mirkovic. Despite Mirkovic’s new accolade, Andy Katz of the Big Ten Network and the NCAA doesn’t see him as the top sophomore in the country.
Katz produced a list of the top 10 sophomores in college basketball. Mirkovic does hold his own at No. 2, but the player taking the top spot is UConn’s guard Braylon Mullins.
Sophomore Stars 🤩@TheAndyKatz ranks the top players heading into year two 🙌 pic.twitter.com/jr7t9a2EsQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) October 14, 2026
I would push back on this list. I understand that Mullins had a big moment last season with the game-winner in the NCAA tournament against Duke. One shot shouldn’t define skill level, though. That would mean Robert Horry is the greatest player of all time.
Mullins had a good season, averaging 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game. Mirkovic’s numbers are better: 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game.
Well, Mullins is that killer three-point shooter, right? Mullins shot 33.5% from three-point range. Once again, Mirkovic is better at 37.5%.
According to the numbers, Mirkovic is the better player. According to my eyes, Mirkovic is a better player. What I believe this ranking takes into consideration is the Illinois record against UConn over the last few years.
The UConn Huskies have been Illinois basketball’s bugaboo in the Brad Underwood era
It is always exciting to take on the best teams in the country. Even against Duke, Illinois has split the last two games in the Underwood era.
You can’t say the same in the games against UConn. Illinois has played the Huskies three times in the Underwood era, all on neutral courts, and we haven’t had a chance. UConn has our number.
The first time around was in the Elite 8. Illinois was close at halftime, but UConn went on a massive run and blew us out of the water. We fought early in the season last year against the Huskies but still fell by double digits.
Illinois then matched up against UConn in the Final Four back in April. This was our chance not only to shed the weight of UConn, but we could also get to the national championship game.
That didn’t happen, though. The Huskies had control of the game and ultimately won by nine points.
My guess is that Katz’s sophomore rankings were decided by head-to-head record. There is no way a logical person could see both players and think Mullins is better than Mirkovic. On December 4, we get round four of this one-sided affair. Maybe, Mirkovic can prove he is better than Mullins and also take care of the Huskies once and for all.
Add us as a preferred source on Google