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Incredible Illinois freshman season gets even better early against Houston

The Illinois basketball team is trying to knock off Houston, and while that is happening, an Illini freshman broke another record
ByRees Woodcock|
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Mar 21, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) goes for the basket as VCU Rams guard Brandon Jennings (0) defends during the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Mar 21, 2026; Greenville, SC, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward David Mirkovic (0) goes for the basket as VCU Rams guard Brandon Jennings (0) defends during the second half during a second round game of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Illinois basketball is fighting for a spot in the Elite 8, meanwhile, there is a big accomplishment already achieved.

The Illini have started the game against Houston in tough fashion. Each team is having their shooting woes, but the battle on the boards is ongoing.

Nearly four minutes into the game, Illinois had the lead 2-0, and David Mirkovic already had three rebounds. That number is significant to not give the Cougars more chances, but it is also historically significant.

With the three rebounds, Mirkovic now has 273 rebounds during his freshman season. That passes former Illini great Kofi Cockburn for the most rebounds in a freshman season by a member of the Orange and Blue.

Think about that for a second. Mirkovic is three inches shorter, and he doesn’t have the physical size of Cockburn, but his tenacity has given him the ability to secure the most rebounds ever by an Illinois freshman.

David Mirkovic can take the Illinois freshman rebounding record and put it out of reach

With Mirkovic already breaking the Illinois freshman rebounding record this early in the game, he can do some serious damage to anyone ever catching him.

Mirkovic can log at least 10 more rebounds in this game. If Illinois can then advance to the Elite 8, that is another game under his belt to stack up even more rebounds.

It has been an incredible freshman season for Mirkovic. He led Illinois in the first round of the NCAA tournament when he put up 29 points and 17 rebounds. There is no telling how high he can climb on this rebounding total.

The list that Mirkovic is atop is quite impressive, too. Not only has he passed an All-American in Cockburn, but there are plenty of big names that many Illinois fans recognize.

Mirkovic is also ahead of names like Deon Thomas, who is now No. 4. Kasparas Jakucionis is now No. 7 on the list. James Augustine drops to No. 8. And former fan-favorite Giorgi Bezhanishvili is now No. 9 on the freshman season rebounding list.

This is only the beginning of what should be a great Illinois career for Mirkovic. His journey is going to be so fun to watch.

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