Stirtz said the Illini were "throwing everyone at me" but agreed that one player in particular made life particularly difficult in Sunday's loss

The Illini (13-3, 4-1 Big Ten) won their fifth consecutive game and stayed tied for third place in the conference.

Illinois' David Mirkovic doesn’t fit into a prototypical hoops category. A 6-foot-9 forward, he isn’t exactly a stretch 4. He’s certainly not solely a post-up player – although not quite a point forward. He’s a unique mixture of all the above.

The No. 16 Illinois Fighting Illini and the No. 19 Iowa Hawkeyes meet Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, Iowa. Tip-off is set for noon ET.