Underwood offered his thoughts on each Illini returner, including an unexpected name projected to be an impact player

Hopefully it’s not a huge deal.

Aug. 24—David Mirkovic underwent surgery at the beginning of this month to insert a pin in his left foot to fix a fracture suffered in one of Illinois' final summer workouts. While he spends most of his time now with his left in a boot, the 6-foot-9 Illini sophomore's rehab and recovery efforts with strength and conditioning coach Adam Fletcher and athletic trainer Justin Games are underway. ...

The sophomore tops the list of top 10 power forwards for the 2026-27 season.

Illinois basketball is being looked at as a top three team in the country, and they are being lead by arguably one of the best power forwards in the game.

Aug. 11—Will David Mirkovic be available when Illinois opens the 2026-27 season the first week of November? The answer, at this point, is unknown. While Field of 68's Jeff Goodman reported Mirkovic would be out 6-8 weeks following foot surgery earlier this month, there has been no official timetable for the 6-foot-9 forward's return from Illinois. Until Brad Underwood says the words out loud ...

Mirkovic's injury timeline remains uncertain, which means the Illini may need more contributions from frontcourt reserves

Aug. 7—College football training camps might have kicked into gear across the country this week, but it's always basketball season. That's not just a feeling I hold either. The folks at ESPN decided this week was the week to for the 2026-27 season. Myron Medcalf has Illinois third in the Big Ten behind Michigan State and Michigan. If you recall my top 25 from a week or so ago, I had Illinois, ...