GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) – David Mirkovic had 29 points and 17 rebounds, and No. 3 seed Illinois dominated No. 14 seed Penn 105-70 on Thursday night in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Keaton Wagler added 18 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds for the Fighting Illini (25-8), who advanced to face No. 11 VCU in the second round on Saturday.
Kylan Boswell contributed 13 points, while Ben Humrichous and Tomislav Ivisic each added 12 as Illinois shot 50% from the field, made 15 three-pointers, and dominated the boards with a 48-25 rebounding advantage over the smaller Quakers.
Michael Zanoni led Penn (18-12), the Ivy League champions, with 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting. TJ Power, who had scored 44 points in the Quakers’ overtime win over Yale to qualify for the tournament, struggled, finishing with six points on 2-of-8 shooting after missing practice time due to illness.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood praised Wagler for his defensive efforts against Power, noting, “He gave up the last 3 before the end of the half, which I wasn’t very happy with, but his touches were very hard.” Mirkovic set the tone early, scoring 17 points and grabbing 10 rebounds in the first half, which helped Illinois establish a 40-30 lead.
Underwood remarked, “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.” Illinois continued to assert its dominance, extending the lead to 23 points with 10 minutes remaining after Mirkovic intercepted a pass and assisted Zvonimir Ivisic on a transition alley-oop dunk.
Penn guard Cam Thrower acknowledged the challenge posed by Illinois’ size, stating, “Their size was tough to contend with.” Mirkovic’s 17 rebounds set a school tournament record, and he noted, “The ball was finding me like a magnet on the offensive glass.”
Mirkovic added, “That’s what I do every day, even in practices. 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, a second-team Associated Press All-American as a freshman, believes Mirkovic deserves recognition among the top freshmen in the nation, saying, “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 commented on Power’s performance, revealing that he had received “four of five IVs” before the game but was not at his best after battling illness. He commended Power for his effort, saying, “That is one tough kid there. I love him. He tried. He was sick for two days. We thought he was going to get better. … But you could tell, in particular on the glass, because he’s an elite rebounder, that he didn’t have quite the energy or the explosion that he normally does.”
After the game, the Penn players showed appreciation to their fans by walking over to applaud them, with some players tugging at their jerseys and blowing kisses, while the fans cheered back, encouraging, “Next year, boys!” Looking ahead, Illinois has a history of success against VCU, having beaten them 62-46 in their only previous meeting in 2016.