The Illinois men’s basketball team’s preparations for the 2026-27 season have taken an unexpected hit, with one of its most important returning players facing a medical setback. David Mirkovic, who was already working on a return from offseason foot surgery, has now undergone an emergency procedure after developing appendicitis. Head coach Brad Underwood addressed the situation ahead of the Fighting Illini’s season opener.

“Mirk is gonna be out,” he said in a media scrum, recorded and posted to X by beat reporter for The Daily Illini, Sahil Mittal.

“I can’t give you any further update than that. I was in the emergency room, had his appendix removed last night. Obviously, that means he won’t be in uniform, but I would expect Andrej [Stojakovic] and [Zvonimir Ivisic] , and then I would list Lincoln [Williams] as questionable.”

The emergency procedure comes as Mirkovic was already recovering from a left-foot injury that needed surgery back in August. The setback forced him to sit out Illinois’ three preseason exhibition games, including the showdown against Baylor on October 23. Though he showed signs of progress during the rehab period, there was an unfortunate setback.

Before the game against Baylor, he had been walking without assistance, but when he was spotted on the sideline, he appeared to be using a walking boot. He has since also been using an assistive scooter, according to a report from The Daily Illini. However, according to Brad Underwood, the boot didn’t signal a setback with the foot.

“Nothing has changed at all,” he said previously.

“Everything has been as before, we just want to make sure that in January, March, whenever it is, that thing is healed long term for three or four years, five years, however long that young man may play, 10 years. We don’t want that to be a reflection of anything that goes wrong because we tried to rush it.”

Mirkovic’s absence is concerning, considering just how important he was to Illinois last season. In his freshman year, he averaged 13.3 points while shooting 48.4% from the field and 37.5% from three-point range as the third-leading scorer on the team, adding eight rebounds and 2.6 assists.

Mirkovic was also named to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team for his efforts.

Mirkovic even played through an ankle sprain despite being listed as questionable on January 24, 2026, against Purdue.

With All-American freshman Keaton Wagler leaving the program for the NBA, there was a chance that Mirkovic could ascend to the top scorer for the team, but without him, it’s unclear how the team plans to operate.

Heading into the season, Mirkovic was optimistic on his return, and during media day, he expressed as much to reporters.

“Right now, I’m in a really great spot,” he said back then.

“Just listening to the doctor, listening to Justin Games, our athletic trainer. Just keep working every day, getting it better. And I would say I’m in a great spot right now with it.”

Without Mirkovic, Brad Underwood will be relying on more creation from Andrej Stojakovic, Stefan Vaaks, and their freshman guard rotation. As Underwood indicated, Ivisic will likely have to step up in the frontcourt. The forward was going through concussion protocol, along with Stojakovic, following hard falls against Baylor, causing them to miss the exhibition game against UIC.

For now, the Fighting Illini’s season opener is against Fairleigh Dickinson, which shouldn’t require much from the team. However, with the team’s rotation already looking depleted without Mirkovic and Williams, their November road games against Duke and Texas Tech could end up as early losses.

While the expected availability of Ivisic and Stojakovic will provide some relief, Mirkovic’s latest setback leaves Illinois without a key contributor as it begins a season with high expectations.