Throughout all four of Illinois's NCAA Tournament wins, freshman David Mirkovic has been playing with as much heart as anyone else in the arena; all of the Fighting Illini have been.
When the Illini secured their Elite Eight win over the Iowa Hawkeyes, punching their ticket to the Final Four, Mirkovic simply couldn't contain his emotions any longer.
A video posted by the March Madness social media team showed Mirkovic breaking down in tears, overcome with emotions, after the game, and teammate AJ Redd comforting him and hyping him up all at once.
In the win over Iowa, Mirkovic earned nine points, 12 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, seeming to be everywhere all at once for the Illini on both ends of the court.
The emotions of March ❤️#MarchMadness @IlliniMBB pic.twitter.com/XpNbHD5XcQ
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 29, 2026
Mirkovic wasn't the only Illini who couldn't control their emotions. Transfer Andrej Stojakovic couldn't keep the excitement from exploding out of him, shouting out the news that his team was going to the Final Four.
"The news just f---ing broke! Final Four! Let's get it, baby," Stojakovic shouted to Mirkovic while holding up the newspaper from The Daily Illini.
Stojakovic came off the bench to contribute a stunning 17 points, five rebounds, and one steal to Illinois' impressive victory.
Of course, star freshman Keaton Wagler and head coach Brad Underwood got to express their excitement to the nation, both answering a few questions in the postgame interview and sharing their undeniable gratitude for being where they are.
The trip to the Final Four is the first for the program in 21 years, and the first-ever for Underwood as a head coach. In the next game, they will face the winner of the Duke-UConn matchup to determine which team will punch its ticket to the National Championship.
If Illinois wins another game, the Fighting Illini's emotions might just hit a record high.