The Illinois basketball season is officially less than a week away, and the Illini are not going to start it completely healthy. It was already known that David Mirkovic wouldn't be good to go by the start of the season, ending up back in the boot with his foot injury. However, now it looks like Brad Underwood is dealing with a few more injuries.
The Illini are set to play one final exhibition game before the start of the season on Wednesday, October 28, against the University of Illinois Chicago. It looks like a good portion of the starting lineup won't see the court, though.
Underwood updated the media on some injuries the Illini are dealing with right now, and it's a long list. Both Zvonimir Ivisic and Andrej Stojakovic are dealing with what sounds like concussions after hitting their heads on the court against Baylor. Their timetable for return is unknown. Freshman Lincoln Williams will also be out vs. UIC due to slipping on the court in practice and getting injured.
The good news is that the other half of the Ivisic brothers, Tomislav Ivisic, will be available after leaving the Baylor game with a knee injury.
#Illini injury update ahead of UIC exhibition, per Brad Underwood.
— Orange and Blue News (@IllinoisRivals) October 27, 2026
David Mirkovic was still in a boot and rolling around on a scooter today at Ubben.
Zvonimir Ivisic and Andrej Stojakovic are both out vs. UIC after hitting their heads on the court against Baylor. No timetable.…
This is not the time for Illinois to be dealing with injuries with David Mirkovic already out
Underwood and his squad will already be without Mirkovic for longer than expected after the doctors recommended that he go back in the boot. Not only that, but he has been seen on a scooter around campus as well, which means he isn't putting weight on the foot right now either.
Hearing that Mirkovic wouldn't be a go for the beginning of the season was the biggest fear of Illinois fans, and now it's coming true. Underwood said that it wasn't any one thing that got Mirkovic back in the boot, but simply allowing the injury to continue to heal.
It has been evident that Mirkovic hasn't been on the court during the struggle Illinois has had in exhibition games with defense and rebounding. Now, if Illinois is out one of the Ivisic brothers and Stojakovic, even for the first game of the season, it could cause some issues for this team.
Stojakovic and Mirkovic were two of the top three scorers for the Illini last season, behind now L.A. Clippers player Keaton Wagler. Stojakovic averages 13.5 points per game, while Mirkovic wasn't far behind with 13.3 points per game. Mirkovic will really be missed on the boards, averaging eight rebounds a game.
This is not the time for Illinois to be dealing with this many injuries. Even if these guys are good to go by the time the first couple of games roll around in less than a week, they are missing valuable practice time to continue working on the issues that have been evident in the exhibitions.
Illinois opens the season Monday, November 2, against Fairleigh Dickinson at 7:00 p.m. CT at State Farm Center.
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