Brad Underwood Richmond Family Endowed Men’s Head Basketball Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Brad Underwood Richmond Family Endowed Men’s Head Basketball Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Fighting Illini freshman forward David Mirkovic delivered a standout performance on Friday night, recording 27 points and 21 rebounds to lead No. 14 Illinois to an 84-65 victory over Colgate at State Farm Center. The win moves Illinois to a 4-0 start this season.
Mirkovic's performance was historic for the program. It marked the first time in nearly 53 years that an Illinois player posted at least 20 points and 20 rebounds in a single game, a feat last achieved by Nick Weatherspoon in December 1972. Additionally, Mirkovic broke the school's freshman single-game rebounding record, surpassing the previous mark of 17 set by Kofi Cockburn during the 2019-20 season.
With his stat line against Colgate, Mirkovic became just the fourth freshman nationally in the past 21 years to record at least 27 points and 21 rebounds in a game. He joins Marvin Bagley III (Duke), Michael Beasley (Kansas State), and Kevin Durant (Texas) on this list.
After the game, team officials noted that "His 21 rebounds ties him for seventh most single-game rebounds in Illinois history." They added, "Mirkovic breaks the Illinois freshman single-game rebounding record of 17 boards at the 10:04 mark of the second half. Kofi Cockburn set the mark twice as a freshman in 2019-20."
The Illini benefited from contributions across their roster. Freshman guard Keaton Wagler added 19 points and six rebounds, while Kylan Boswell scored 11 points and Ben Humrichous contributed ten. Illinois built its lead with strong rebounding, finishing with a +20 margin over Colgate (49-29), including a significant advantage on offensive boards.
Illinois established an early lead before Colgate tied the score late in the first half. The Illini responded with a run to close out the period ahead by eleven points. In the second half, they continued to extend their advantage, reaching their largest lead of the night—24 points—with just over four minutes remaining.
Friday's contest drew a sellout crowd of more than fifteen thousand fans at State Farm Center. This marks three consecutive home games with maximum attendance for Illinois this season.
Looking ahead, Illinois will travel to Chicago for a top-10 matchup against No. 8 Alabama next Wednesday at United Center.
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