Illinois Star Mirkovic Out for Opener After Emergency Appendectomy

Illinois will open one of the most watched seasons in program history without its best player. Preseason All-America forward David Mirkovic underwent an emergency appendectomy on Saturday night, October 31, coach Brad Underwood told reporters on Sunday, and he will not play when No. 3 Illinois hosts Fairleigh Dickinson in Champaign on Monday night, November 2.

Mirkovic was already a doubt for the opener. The sophomore had left foot surgery in August 2026 and returned to practice on October 13, but he was back in a boot in late October and moving around on a scooter. The appendix surgery adds a second recovery on top of the first, and Underwood offered no date for a return.

"(Mirkovic) is going to be out. He has had a continued setback," Underwood said. "He had his appendix removed last night. We don't know what that means. Can't give you any further update than that." He added: "Obviously, that means he won't be in uniform (on Monday)."

What Illinois loses

Mirkovic, 20, is a 6-foot-9, 250-pound forward from Montenegro. As a freshman he averaged 13.3 points, a team-high 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists, made the Big Ten All-Freshman team and earned honorable mention all-conference honors. He helped Illinois reach the Final Four in April, the school's first in 21 years, and the Associated Press named him to its preseason All-America first team for this season.

Illinois starts the year ranked No. 3 in the AP preseason Top 25 and received two first-place votes. With lead guard Keaton Wagler gone to the NBA, Mirkovic was set to carry much of the offense. His absence, with no timetable attached, is the first real test of that ranking.

Who steps in

There was better news elsewhere on the roster. Wing Andrej Stojakovic and center Zvonimir Ivisic, who both missed the exhibition against UIC while in concussion protocol, are expected to play on Monday, Underwood said. Illinois will need both, plus a bigger scoring load from the rest of its frontcourt, for as long as Mirkovic is out.

What happens next

The opener against Fairleigh Dickinson comes first, at the State Farm Center on Monday night. After that, Illinois waits on two recoveries at once: a foot that the staff has handled with care all fall, and an appendix surgery whose effect on that rehab nobody at Illinois would guess at on Sunday. Underwood has said for weeks that the priority is Mirkovic being fully healed for the heart of the season, in January and March, not for the first week of November. Saturday night made that patience harder, and more necessary.