Basketball

By IlliniGuys Staff

April 7, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

It's transfer portal season and that means more than 1,000 college basketball players seeking new opportunities and hundreds of coaching staffs looking to bolster their rosters.

Coming off their first Final Four appearance in 21 years, Illinois would appear to be in the catbird's seat. IlliniGuys insiders are working the phones non-stop this time of year and providing real-time updates throughout the day on our premier message boards:

https://illiniguys.com/forum/forums/basketball-discussion.1648/

Here is what IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy shared this morning:

Wisconsin scoring guard John Blackwell is arguably

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Co-Founder April 6, 2026 […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

April 6, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Wisconsin Badgers)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Since the NCAA allowed college athletes the opportunity to change teams with NIL benefits, IlliniGuys co-owner Mike Cagley coined a phrase that is quickly catching on across the country: Portal Kombat.

While the official opening date for the men’s transfer portal is now just hours away at 12:01 a.m., movement has already begun. Several players have already announced that they plan to enter the portal early. Some will do so with a non-contact designation, signaling they either know where they want to go or prefer not to be recruited.

One player who today announced his intention to switch schools is Wisconsin guard John Blackwell.

The former Brother Rice High School standout from Michigan is a 6-foot-4 guard who earned third-team All-Big Ten honors after averaging 19.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game while shooting 38 percent from three-point range.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

April 6, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Mudita is a Pali term used to describe the happiness one feels for another's success being as great as the happiness for your own success. It is the antidote to envy. You can guarantee that Ty Rodgers was envious of those players on the floor, but as the Illini walked off the court on Saturday at the Final Four he had his arm around Tomislav Ivisic telling him to keep his head up. Perhaps no player showed more of the ‘Mudita’ throughout this season than Rodgers, and this just encapsulated that theory.

Illini Coach Brad Underwood addressed it after the UConn loss. “This team had great, great joy for other’s successes.”

For Ty it was a year of growth, and it has been two years of growth for the 4th year player. His last time on the court in an official game was the Elite 8 loss to UConn in 2024. Now, he was in a different role as the injured veteran helping to lead and support off the court.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

April 5, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Brent Zinkmann/IlliniGuys)

It only ends well for one team in the NCAA tournament, for the other 67 teams it ends with a loss you just want to hang around as long as you possibly can. The Illinois basketball team made their second Final Four since the turn of the century and only their third in the past 70 plus years, but the run ended at the hands of the UConn Huskies in The Final Four in front of a crazy amount of Orange and Blue clad Illini fans and for a team that captures the hearst fo Illini nation.

We could simply say that Illinois didn't make enough shots against a Connecticut team that has been there before, and that would definitely be true. Illinois missed jumpers, free throws, layups and everything in between, and in many cases they were wide open. They got more shots at he rim, got to the line more, and got more of the so called ‘Gold Medal’ shots they crave. But they missed them.

They fell behind by double digits but continued to battle back and cut the lead to four late when Connecticut grabbed an offensive rebound and then hit a three-pointer that essentially ended the magical run.

But this was a chance to put Illini basketball on the map. Back on the map. It's been 21 years since they made a final four and once again the fans showed out hoping to see that elusive first National Championship. The last two times the Illini reached the Final Four there was not a huge payoff post championship run. This time will be different.

There will be no Bruce Pearl recordings and probation. There won't be recruiting struggles finding players. Instead, Illinois has a fantastic basketball coach and staff that understand how to put together a roster and how to allow that roster to compete at the highest level.

So rather than break down the loss to UConn, which saw the physicality of the Huskies and the sideline brilliance of Danny Hurley in evidence, instead it's time to begin looking forward at what can happen next year.

The Illini lose three seniors, led by Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous, along with AJ Redd. Also from the 8-man rotation they expect to lose freshman All American Keaton Wagler to the NBA Draft. Everyone else could return. Let’s look at the possibilities for each player.

Keaton Wagler - The freshman superstar does not want to leave Illinois, and his family doesn't know if he is ready for the NBA.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

April 5, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – On Friday, Brad Underwood and his staff delivered a major recruiting win when Illinois secured a commitment from one of the nation’s top playmakers in Quentin Coleman from St. Louis.

For a program operating at a high level, sustained success hinges on continuing to recruit and build momentum. Illinois is doing exactly that, showing no signs of slowing down.

That momentum has not gone unnoticed, especially by one of the state’s rising stars. Brady Pettigrew, a 6-foot-3, 170-pound five-star sophomore from Bolingbrook, is currently ranked as the No. 15 prospect in the country. Pettigrew already holds 19 Division I offers and continues to attract attention from some of college basketball’s biggest programs.

Illinois players and Brad Underwood experience on Saturday night what the 9-year Illini head coach constantly talks about - the abruptness of the end in the NCAA tournament.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 5, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

INDIANAPOLIS — No matter how many times Illinois head coach Brad Underwood mentioned “the abruptness of the end” of the NCAA tournament with his basketball team, nothing could prepare Kylan Boswell for the moment of Saturday night.

At about 7:35 p.m. CST on the evening of Saturday April 4, 2026, Boswell was no longer a college basketball player and his career had ending in a painful and emotional loss in front of an announced crowd of 72,111 and millions watching on television.

“You work this whole season going all the way back to the summer to play for a national championship and to be one game short of that, it sucks,” Boswell said. “I just can’t believe we got this close and then lose like that, it hurts. It’ll probably hurt for a long time.”

Boswell finished his final college basketball game with just six points and 1 of 6 from the field that included multiple missed lay-ups that he’s made without thinking about the shot in his career. In the post-game locker room at Lucas Oil Stadium, Boswell reflected on how this is not the individual box score or the team performance he envisioned for his Final Four debut.

“To get here and be able to help my team get to this moment and then end my career like this, it just sucks,” Boswell said.

Kylan Boswell: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aW-HIOCYT3U   Ben Humrichous: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKZg6GDygaQ   Tomislav […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hPYK2-ecWt0    

By IlliniGuys Staff April 4, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By IlliniGuys Staff April 4, 2026 INDIANAPOLIS -- Illinois […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 4, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – On April 17, 2020, Illinois secured a commitment from Indiana high school standout Luke Goode, a sharpshooter from Fort Wayne, Indiana, who would go on to play a key role for the Illini.

Now, years later, Goode is watching from a different perspective as Illinois returns to the national spotlight. The former Illini wing, who later transferred to Indiana, shared his thoughts on Illinois’ current run, his college journey, and the significance of the 2026 Final Four being held in the same state where his basketball career began.

Goode said Illinois’ rise under Brad Underwood was always expected.

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Co-Founder April 4, 2026 […]

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

April 4, 2026

After a week of practices, fan events, interviews, TikTok dances, send-offs and overall fun since the Illini dispatched Iowa to make their first Final Four since 2005, the Illini are finally ready to play some basketball against UConn on Saturday night in Indianapolis. Illinois is hoping to win 2 more games to cement their legacy as the first Illini team to win a national title, but to do it they will have to first take care of a UConn team that has won 2 of the past 3 national titles and has been hard to beat in NCAA tournament play.

Here’s a look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage
2026 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament // National Semifinal
3 Illinois (28-8, 15-5 B1G) vs. 2 UConn (33-5, 17-3 Big East)
Saturday, April 4 // 5:09 p.m. CT (6:09 p.m. ET) // Indianapolis, Ind. // Lucas Oil Stadium
TV: TBS/TNT/truTV – Ian Eagle, Bill Raftery & Grant Hill (Analysts), & Tracy Wolfson (Sideline) Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas National Radio: Westwood One – Kevin Kugler, Robbie Hummel & P.J. Carlesimo, & Andy Katz Satellite Radio: SiriusXM – 84

Notable
* 2026 Final Four; UI's first since 2005 NCAA Runner-Up. Two NCAA Elite Eights in the last three years. 8-2 over last three NCAA Tournaments. Big Ten’s winningest team in conference play over the last seven seasons. One of four schools nationally with seven straight 20-win regular seasons. Six straight NCAA Tournament appearances (seventh precluded by COVID-19 cancelation in 2020). One of 10 schools in the last six NCAA Tournaments. One of 12 schools with NCAA Tournament wins in at least five of the last six years

*The winner of Saturday's National Semifinal between Illinois and UConn will advance to National Championship game to face either No. 1 seed and West Regional Champion Arizona or No. 1 seed and Midwest Regional Champion Michigan, Monday, April 6, at 7:50 p.m. CT (8:50 p.m. ET) on TBS, TNT, and truTV.

*Illinois' run to the Final Four began with opening weekend victories over 14 seed Penn (105-70) and 11 seed VCU (76-55) in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively, in Greenville, S.C. The Illini then defeated 2 seed and No. 5-ranked Houston (65-55) in the Sweet 16, followed by an Elite Eight victory over Big Ten rival and 9 seed Iowa (71-59) at Toyota Center in Houston.

* The Illinois defense has held each of its last three opponents under 60 points, the first time this that the Orange and Blue have kept three consecutive opponents under that threshold. » It marks just the second time that the Fighting Illini have held held three opponents under 60 points in a single NCAA Tournament run, matching the 2005 National Runner-Up team that defeated 16 Fairleigh Dickinson (67-55) in Round 1, 9 Nevada (71-59) in Round 2, and 4 Louisville (72-57) in the National Semifinal.

By Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

April 4, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For the first time in 21 years, the Illinois men’s basketball team is back in the Final Four. The last time came in 2005, when the Illini played in the national championship game, eventually losing to North Carolina 75-70. Then-head coach Bruce Weber had the opportunity to build on that run in terms of recruiting, but the program never found that path again.

Fast forward to today, and Brad Underwood is leading Illinois into another national semifinal. The Illini will face UConn on Saturday for a chance to play for the title. Underwood understands the moment and the opportunity that comes with it.