Illinois forward David Mirkovic is the Fighting Illini's third-leading returning scorer from last season behind Andrej Stojakovic and Stefan Vaaks, but has garnered more preseason hype than his two teammates heading into the 2026-27 season.
Mirkovic found himself in elite company on Wednesday as he joined four other college basketball players on the Associated Press' Preseason All-America team, including a point guard from rival Michigan State.
Mirkovic is still recovering from surgery on his left foot, but has all the makings of a top five player in the country this season based on his potential and previous body of work.
Mirkovic Joins Haugh, Tanner on All-America Team
Mirkovic joined one Big Ten player, two SEC players and one Big 12 player on the AP's Preseason All-America Team, representing a big, talented lineup of returning players.
Mirkovic was joined by Jeremy Fears Jr. of Michigan State, Tyler Tanner of Vanderbilt, former national champion Thomas Haugh of Florida and Motiejus Krivas of Arizona. Mirkovic and Krivas are the only two players whose teams qualified for last year's Final Four, with both Illinois and Arizona losing before the national championship game.
The Illini power forward Mirkovic was a freshman last season and scored 13.3 points per game in 29.5 minutes for coach Brad Underwood's team. He hauled down eight rebounds per game and dished out 2.6 assists per game while shooting 48.4% from the field, third on Illinois among rotation players.
He is expected to be part of a new "positionless basketball" approach by Underwood ahead of the season.
Mirkovic Ranks Fourth in Scoring on 2026-27 AP Team
Mirkovic ranks fourth in scoring on the 2026-27 AP All-America team, behind all but Krivas, the 7-foot-2, 260-pound Wildcats senior from Lithuania who averaged 10.4 points per game and grabbed 6.1 rebounds per game.
Fears Jr. averaged 15.2 points per game for the Spartans, Haugh averaged 17.1 points per game for the Gators and Tanner averaged 19.5 points per game for the Commodores.
There is a feeling among Illinois practice insiders that Mirkovic's 2026-27 scoring average could blow last year's out of the water, a thought process that extends to fellow Illini players including Vaaks, Stojakovic, and others.
If the Fighting Illini win at a high rate this season, Mirkovic's individual stats won't matter nearly as much. He is a versatile, high-scoring forward capable of playing multiple positions and playing them with efficiency and style.
Those who watch him know he's one of the Big Ten's, and the nation's, best players, and soon it will be time for him to prove it all over again with Farleigh Dickinson scheduled to invade State Farm Center on Nov. 2 in Champaign, Ill. for the season opener.