No. 3 Illinois forward David Mirkovic has appendectomy before season opener
The gist
Illinois forward David Mirkovic had an emergency appendectomy Saturday and will miss Monday's opener.
The No. 3 Illini get two injured players back but lose a preseason All-American.
How it unfolded
- Oct 17, 2026Illinois opened exhibition play with a 105-96 win at Cincinnati.
- Oct 23, 2026Illinois lost its home exhibition to Baylor 91-95; Andrej Stojakovic and Zvonimir Ivisic each took hard falls and left the game.
- Oct 28, 2026No. 3 Illinois beat UIC 101-66 in its exhibition finale, playing without David Mirkovic, Stojakovic and Ivisic.