CHAMPAIGN — David Mirković scored 19 points and grabbed 14 rebounds Monday night as No. 17 Illinois opened the season with a 113-55 win over Jackson State.
Mirković, a 6-foot-9 freshman forward from Montenegro, is one of four new international players on the Illinois roster this season.
More Top Picks Best Rgb Video Lights For Content Creators
How Illinois’ ‘Balkan Five’ came together — and are giving the No. 17 Illini a new sound
Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivišić each had 21 points, Keaton Wagler had 18 and Jake Davis had 13 for Illinois, which was the highest-scoring team in the Big Ten last season. Zvonimir Ivišić had nine rebounds.
Devin Ree scored 19 points and Daeshun Ruffin added 12 for the Tigers, who shot 30.6% from the field. Ruffin was the top scorer in the Southwestern Athletic Conference last season and the conference’s preseason player of the year.
The Illini made 17 3-pointers and outrebounded Jackson State 61-19 despite missing four players with injuries: Brandon Lee, Andrej Stojaković, Ty Rodgers and Mihailo Petrović.
A 17-point run early in the game gave Illinois a 60-27 halftime lead. The Illini made 10 3-pointers in the first half.
Jackson State is playing nine of its first 10 games on the road. During the stretch, the Tigers will face seven teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season and five preseason Top 25 teams, including No. 2 Houston.
Up next
- Jackson State: At No. 11 Louisville on Thursday night
- Illinois: Home vs. Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night
More Top Picks Compost Bins