Illinois star David Mirković out after emergency appendectomy, delaying return from foot surgery

The Illini star underwent an emergency appendectomy on Saturday night, head coach Brad Underwood revealed on Sunday. A specific timeline for his return is not yet known, though Mirković was not on the court with No. 3 Illinois for its blowout 120-45 win over Fairleigh Dickinson on Monday. Mirković was going to miss the start of the season this fall anyways. He underwent foot surgery this past offseason, and was expected to miss at least the start of the 2026-27 campaign.