By IlliniGuys Staff

November 3, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Freshman David Mirkovic posted a double-double in his Illinois debut as the 17th ranked Illini pummeled Jackson State 113-55 in their season opener Monday night.

Illinois (1-0) went into the game without four key players; Ty Rodgers (knee), Andrej Stojakovic (knee), and Mihailo Petrovic (hamstring) weren't expected to play, but freshman guard Brandon Lee walked out onto the State Farm Center floor during pregame shootaround on crutches and wearing a boot.

Their absence didn't matter as the Illini jumped out to a 30-6 lead on the Tigers behind hot shooting from beyond the three-point arc. Illinois hit on seven of their first ten three-point attempts to build the whopping lead on their way to a 60-27 halftime advantage.

That's when Mirkovic had already locked up his double-double, as the Montenegrin put up 13 points and 10 rebounds in the first 20 minutes. He finished with 19 and 14, respectively, to continue the stellar play he showed in the Illini's exhibition win over Illinois State last month.

Illinois hit 17 threes in the game, led by Ben Humrichous with five. The grad student and second-year Illini looked comfortable on a 21-point night with five rebounds and a pair of assists in 21 minutes of play.

Tomislav Ivisic also scored 21 with four rebounds in 23 minutes. The 7-foot-1 junior drained three of six of his attempts from the arc.

Freshman Keaton Wagler debuted with 18 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Jake Davis scored 13 points while senior Kylan Boswell was the sixth Illini to score in double figures with 10 points to go with a team high five assists.

Illinois dominated the much-smaller Tigers on the boards with a 61-19 rebound advantage and scoored 42 points in the paint. The Illini shot 55 percent from the field and 46 percent from three-point range.

Devin Ree led Jackson State (0-1) with 19 points before fouling out.

Illinois will host Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night (7:30pm CST, Peacock).

Stay with IlliniGuys.com for complete postgame coverage.