Sophomore standout David Mirkovic underwent surgery on his left foot in Indianapolis on July 31, reported on Illini social media pages.Wishing David a healthy recovery pic.twitter.com/rKAVW1lm5H Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) August 4, 2026The social media team did not specify the exact injury or timeline for Mirkovics return; however, Field of 68s Jeff Goodman states 6 to 8 weeks. This timeline would place Mirkovics return right before the beginning of the season. If Mirkovic does miss the early part of the season, it will definitely be a blow to the Illini offense. Mirk is a 6-foot-9 forward that averaged 48.4% from the floor, and 13.3 points per game. Additionally, Mirkovic has been very vocal this offseason about the time he has put in with strength-and-conditioning coach Adam Fletcher, even opting out of playing for his summer national team in Montenegro.NEW: @GoodmanHoops reacts to David Mirkovic's foot injury, and gives #Illini fans an anticipated timeline "According to my sources, he'll be out 6-8 weeks."FULL REACTION https://t.co/oCIioamBTVpic.twitter.com/Q1F2RcQlVZ The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) August 4, 2026IF Mirkovic remains out, Underwood has two main starting five options. The most likely lineup will be the smaller of the two: Quentin Coleman, Jake Davis, Stefan Vaaks, Andrej Stojakovic, and Tomislav Ivisic. Jake Davis being the new fifth man is extremely possible, as he is an Underwood favorite and has earned the whole coaching staffs trust. The senior guard was a consistent starter last year, and averaged 5.4 points per game. The biggest problem with this lineup is there not being a true power forward, this will have to be split between Vaaks and Stojakovic, with Stojakovic likely taking most of the reps.The second lineup will bring height to the court: Coleman, Vaaks, Stojakovic, Zvonimir Ivisic, and Tomislav Ivisic. This option is out of Underwoods comfort zone, as last year the twins rarely shared the court. It also gives Zvonimir a chance to embrace the forward position, which could be interesting to see from a defensive standpoint. Defense will be big piece of what this lineup could bring to the floor, with an athletic average height of 6-foot-9, it could potentially be lethal to smaller teams. The question around this lineup is who could provide relief for the twins, potentially being an opportunity for redshirt sophomore center Jason Jakstys to get bench minutes.Although Underwood is not a coach that likes to switch up his starting lineups, 2027 could be the year for it. With two very different potential lineups it is likely that decisions could be made on an opponent by opponent basis.