GREENVILLE, S.C. — David Mirkovic, a freshman forward for the University of Illinois, delivered a dominant performance with 29 points and 17 rebounds as the No. 3 seed Illinois Fighting Illini defeated the No. 14 seed Penn Quakers 105-70 in the first round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament on Thursday night.
Mirkovic’s 17 rebounds set a recent Illinois program record for rebounds in an NCAA Tournament game, surpassing the previous mark held by Will Riley. His performance propelled Illinois to a decisive victory and a second-round matchup against No. 11 VCU on Saturday.
Keaton Wagler contributed 18 points, seven assists and seven rebounds for the Fighting Illini, who shot 50% from the field and connected on 15 three-pointers. Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic each added 12 points, while Kylan Boswell scored 13.
The Quakers, Ivy League champions, were led by Michael Zanoni, who scored 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting. TJ Power, who had previously scored 44 points in a tournament-clinching win over Yale, was limited to six points on 2-of-8 shooting after battling an illness that impacted his availability leading up to the game.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood praised Wagler’s defensive effort against Power, despite a late three-pointer allowed. “He gave up the last 3 before the complete of the half, which I wasn’t very happy with, but his touches were very hard,” Underwood said. He emphasized Mirkovic’s impact, stating, “He was the best player on the court tonight, especially in the first half, his physicality. Ten rebounds in a half and 17 points. Again, we talk about rebounds being our daily vitamins and we had a 28-14 advantage at half. Then it was just delivering body blows.”
The Fighting Illini extended their lead throughout the second half, highlighted by a transition alley-oop dunk from Zvonimir Ivisic following a steal by Mirkovic, pushing the advantage to 23 points with 10 minutes remaining. Illinois finished the game with a 48-25 rebounding advantage.
Penn guard Cam Thrower acknowledged the challenge posed by Illinois’ size. “Their size was tough to contend with,” he said.
Mirkovic attributed his success on the boards to consistent effort. “That’s what I do every day, even practices,” he said. “I just crash the board trying to bring that physicality. I was crashing and I got a lot of easy points on the rim.”
Wagler lauded Mirkovic as one of the nation’s most overlooked freshmen, stating, “All year he’s been one of the best freshmen in the country. With this loaded freshman class we have, he’s been overshadowed a bit. He rebounds, plays physical, plays hard all the time. I think tonight he just showed what he’s capable of.”
Penn coach Fran McCaffrey explained that Power received “four or five IVs” before the game but was still hampered by illness. “That is one tough kid there,” McCaffrey said. “I love him. He tried. He was sick for two days. We thought he was going to get better… But you could share, in particular on the glass, since he’s an elite rebounder, that he didn’t have quite the energy or the explosion that he normally does.”
Following the game, the Penn players collectively approached their fans, applauding and acknowledging their support. Fans responded with cheers and encouragement, one shouting, “Next year, boys!”
Illinois previously defeated VCU 62-46 in their only prior meeting in 2016. The second-round game against VCU is scheduled for Saturday.
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