Illinois basketball did not have a good Friday night. The Illini fell 95-91 at home against Baylor in an exhibition game – though that final score may have been the least of the team's worries. 

Before the game, David Mirkovic, who was seemingly trending in the right direction, was spotted in a boot. During the contest, the trio of Andrej Stojakovic, Zvonimir Ivisic and Tomislav Ivisic exited because of injuries. 

By the end of the night, Illinois could rely on just three healthy players from its top seven – Quentin Coleman, Stefan Vaaks and Jake Davis. Even in those dire circumstances, the Illini were able to mount a late comeback that fell just short. Illinois coach Brad Underwood addressed the injuries in the postgame press conference:

Will David Mirkovic miss time in the regular season?

“We’ll be without Mirk for a little while,” Underwood told the media after the Baylor exhibition. “They put him back in a boot. I’ve said from Day 1, we’re going to be very patient and diligent with that. We want to make sure that heals correctly, and in a fashion that allows him to sustain not only for the year but for the rest of his career.”

“No,” Underwood later said when asked if Mirkovic suffered a setback. “No setback. It’s all about making sure that the scans show that everything is correct. The screw is terrific. It’s fine. It’s in place. There’s nothing there. It’s just the extra time to make sure that that fully heals and there’s nothing accountable to anything other than just that.

“We went through this a while back with one of our players, and everybody heals differently and goes through their process. And he’s in great spirits. We’ll see what the timeline is.

In a follow-up question, Underwood was asked if he is "preparing to miss games with Mirkovic?” His answer: “Well, I think so.”

We’ve said it often: Illinois is, without fail, extremely cautious in bringing its players back from injury – and never more so than early in the season.

In any case, it appears the Illini are likely to be without Mirkovic early this season. How will they respond? Starting point: figure out how to clean up the glass without him after being outrebounded 47-38 – including surrendering 22 offensive boards – against the Bears.

Status of Andrej Stojakovic and Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic

“As of now, I haven’t talked to a doctor,” Underwood said. “Tomi dinged his knee. I think Andrej and Z both hit their heads on the floor. So we’ll see.”

Without more info, it’s impossible to speculate on a return timeline for each. But if the Illini are forced to be without either of the Ivisices for an extended period of time, both Jason Jakstys and Landon Davis are going to hear their respective numbers called quite a bit.

As for Stojakovic, missing him would force a member of that young, crowded wing rotation – Zavier Zens, Lucas Morillo and Lincoln Williams – to rise to the top.