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David Mirkovic dons cowboy hat after beating Iowa: ‘Why not, we in Texas’
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Brad Underwood and Illinois were in high spirits following their Elite Eight win over Iowa on Saturday night, and some of the Illini players opted to take in some of the local culture to celebrate.
Montenegro-native David Mirkovic was seen rocking a cowboy hat in the locker room after the 71-59 win in Houston, and reporters were immediately intrigued by the foreign player’s reasoning for making such a bold style choice.
As WCIA 3’s Tristan Thomas reported, Mirkovic explained that he had purchased the hat off of Amazon for $34.
He was unable to recall the brand name, instead focusing more on the fact that since he’s in Texas, he has to feel like a cowboy.
Mirkovic certainly did a good job of wrangling in some rebounds Saturday night, as the freshman paced Illinois with a dozen boards to go along with 9 points, 2 assists, a steal and a block.
In his first season of American basketball, Mirkovic has shined as a consistent starter for the Fighting Illini. At 6-foot-9, he averages 13.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game, all while shooting just under 49% from the floor.
It remains to be seen if Mirkovic will purchase any Indy 500-inspired attire when the team visits Indianapolis for the Final Four next weekend.
Can Illinois win the national title? Here’s the latest odds, via Kalshi:
Parker is currently the sports editor for the Enterprise-Journal in McComb, Mississippi. He's a graduate from Mizzou who has experience covering the Tiger football and basketball beats for SB Nation, and he's worked for a variety of sports news outlets in the past.