Mirkovic and Stojakovic Named Preseason All-Big Ten
October 5, 2026 | Men's Basketball
News
CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Illinois sophomore forward David Mirkovic and senior guard Andrej Stojakovic have been selected Preseason All-Big Ten, the conference office announced Monday. The 11-player team was voted on by a media panel representing all 18 Big Ten programs.
Mirkovic ranked third on the Illini in scoring and second in both rebounding and assists last season, averaging 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists. He set the Illinois freshman total rebounds record, collecting 297 boards to break the previous Illini freshman mark of 272 set by Kofi Cockburn in 2019-20.
Mirkovic also ranks among Illinois' top-5 all-time freshmen in wins (28, T-1st), field goals (176, 2nd), double-doubles (9, 2nd), starts (36, 2nd), total points (493, 4th), and minutes (1,090, T-4th).
Mirkovic was named to the NCAA All-Region Team as Illinois won the South Regional Championship. He also was voted to the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and received NABC All-Great Lakes District Second Team and All-Big Ten Honorable Mention recognition.
Stojakovic was the team's second-leading scorer in his first season as an Illini, averaging 13.5 points on 50% shooting (168-336). He scored in double figures 19 times with eight 20-point games, led by a season-high 30 points vs. Maryland (Jan. 21). Stojakovic also averaged 4.5 rebounds and made better than 80% from the free throw line (103-128).
Stojakovic excelled in the NCAA Tournament, averaging 13.8 points on 55.3% shooting and earning a spot on the NCAA All-South Regional Team.
Fighting Illini Basketball has high expectations once again in 2026-27, appearing in the Top 5 of numerous preseason rankings. Head coach Brad Underwood welcomes back five rotation players from the NCAA Final Four run while adding a top-15 recruiting class and impact transfer to this year's roster.
Illinois is coming off its first Final Four appearance in 21 years, a 28-9 record to mark the fourth-most wins in school history, and a Big Ten runner-up finish. Illinois remains the winningest team in Big Ten play this decade and is one of four programs nationally with seven straight 20-win regular seasons.
Preseason All-Big Ten Team*
David Mirkovic, Illinois
Andrej Stojakovic, Illinois
Pharrell Payne, Maryland
Elliot Cadeau, Michigan
Trey McKenney, Michigan
Jeremy Fears Jr., Michigan State
Pryce Sandfort, Nebraska
John Mobley Jr., Ohio State
Trent Perry, UCLA
Rodney Rice, USC
Nolan Winter, Wisconsin
*additional player due to tie in voting
