Basketball

Illinois head coach Shauna Green believes her team is simply being outexecuted and coming up with poor overall efforts in the first 20 minutes of games leading to six losses in the last 10 games.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 2, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — As her team enters postseason play having stumbled in six of its last 10 games, Shauna Green sounds like a coach who is done trying to find excuses for her players lack of execution.

Another sleepy first-half effort saw another double-digit deficit before halftime leading to another loss where Green leaves a locker room full of players knowing Sunday afternoon could have been a win.

The 78-73 loss to No. 22 Minnesota put Illinois in a game on the first day of the Big Ten Conference Tournament for the first time since Green took over the Illini program and was the seventh time this season Illinois found itself in a huge deficit before the 20-minute break.

“Play hard,” Green said on her WDWS post-game radio interview when Illini play-by-play broadcaster Mike Koon asked what led to the second-half comeback. “I don't know why we didn't do that when we came out today. You need to play with 40 minutes of effort to beat anybody in this league and we had about 15 minutes of playing like who we need to be today.”

One more effort like that and Illinois (19-10, 9-9 in Big Ten) could be sweating out whether they are selected for the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks. And even if Illinois hears its name called in the NCAA selection process, two more opening efforts like the one on Sunday that saw Minnesota get 30 of its 36 first-half points in the paint and the Illini’s 2025-26 campaign is likely over.

March 2, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

It's like an hours-long car ride to your favorite destination.  You suddenly look up and realize...

March is here!

On a journey that began back in October, we've reached the month when every college basketball season will come to an end, with four exceptions.

It comes on the heels of a nine-day stretch when the Associated Press top ten lost a combined 10 games, leaving the top two seed lines of most NCAA tournament projections largely unscathed.

Illinois began that period as a projected 2-seed with a shot at the Big Ten regular season title. But after a crazy effort that saw a 23-point lead evaporate at UCLA and then a bruising double-digit loss Friday night to arguably the best team in the nation, the latter is gone while the former remains.

The next two weeks are pretty simple for Brad Underwood's Illini:

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) March 1, 2026 CHAMPAIGN, […]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vYJei336Xsc    

Illinois got down as many as 15 points in […]

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

March 1, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

The Illini fell to Michigan 84-70 at the State Farm Center on Friday night, and the Wolverines showed why they are one of the 3 favorites to win the title on April 6th in Indianapolis, while the Illini showed why matchups are going to be very important to their success in March.

Here is what we learned about the Illini and Michigan in this one.

*Illinois likes to hunt matchups, and they did that against Michigan. The problem is that they have a hard time finding mismatches due to the versatility of the Michigan lineup. The Wolverines have more strength and athleticism, and they have the length to match up with Illinois and contest shots as well. The good news is that there are not many, maybe only 3 or 4 teams, that have the size and athleticism to do that.

*That doesn’t mean that Illinois can’t beat Michigan, but it means they are going to beat them consistently. You hope the one time will be in the Final Four. See 1989.

*Despite that, Illinois still got good looks.

What was supposed to be sweet revenge toward Morez Johnson Jr. for everybody associated with the Illini program instead became a reality check for everybody on the home sideline.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 28, 2026

CHAMPAIGN — On a night where nearly everybody inside State Farm Center wanted to create a nightmare scenario for Morez Johnson Jr., the former Illini forward led the charge toward a dream for Michigan’s front court.

From the moment he was introduced as a starter in pre-game to when he contributed 13 points, four offensive rebounds and four free throws, Johnson’s former head coach Brad Underwood had no choice but acknowledge his former signee and player was simply at another level.

“I love Morez to death. That’s the new world. He left (Illinois) for the reasons he did and you’d have to ask him why but he’s a terrific young man,” Underwood said. “He’s a next level type of player and he showed that tonight.”

By IlliniGuys Staff February 27, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys InsiderAnalyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

February 27, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

It is the next ‘biggest game of the year’ for the Illini as they host the #3 Michigan Wolverines in a showdown of the top 2 teams in the Big Ten standings on Friday night. The Wolverines and Illini both stubbed their toes last weekend and are looking to solidify their NCAA and Big Ten Tournament seeds. The Wolverines will clinch the Big Ten title outright with a win, and Illinois can put themselves in a great position for a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and a 2 seed and triple bye in the Big Ten tournament.

Here’s a look at the matchup.

Setting the Stage
#10 Illinois (22-6, 13-4 B1G) vs. #3 Michigan (26-2, 16-1 B1G)
Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 // 7 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: FOX – Jason Benetti (Play-by-Play) & Bill Raftery (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

Notable
*No. 10 Illinois opens a two-game homestand on Friday night with a Top-10 matchup against No. 3 Michigan. Illinois carries a nine-game winning streak vs. Michigan (began Dec. 11, 2019), including four straight at home.

*In facing No. 3 Michigan, Illinois is looking for its highest-ranked win since beating No. 2 Texas on Dec. 6, 2022, its highest-ranked Big Ten win since a 76-53 rout at No. 2 Michigan on March 2, 2021, and its highest-ranked home win since upsetting No. 1 Indiana on Feb. 7, 2013 on a Tyler Griffey layup at the buzzer.

*Illinois has defeated two Top-5 teams entering the game against No. 3 Michigan, with wins at No. 4 Purdue and at No. 5 Nebraska. The school record for Top-5 wins in a season is three, set by the 1951-52 Illini squad.

*Friday will mark the first game in 20 years at State Farm Center with both teams ranked in the Top 10, since No. 6 Illinois beat No. 7 Michigan State on Jan. 5, 2006, behind Dee Brown's career-high 34 points.

Illinois couldn’t finish off a six-point, fourth-quarter lead for […]

Illini at #9 Iowa Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 - […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

February 25, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Prep Girls Hoops)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – As Illinois women’s basketball continues to build under head coach Shauna Green, assistant coach DeAntoine Beasley has remained a steady presence since the staff’s arrival in 2022. Known as “Cat,” Beasley’s long standing relationships in the game are helping the Illini connect with prospects early, including one of the nation’s most promising young players with Illinois ties.

Beasley, who played collegiately at Tennessee Tech, has maintained a close bond with former teammate Rusty Strange. That connection has helped bring Rusty’s daughter, Austin Strange, onto Illinois’ radar as she develops into one of the top young players in the country.

Austin Strange, a member of the class of 2030, already stands a legitimate 6-foot-3 wing with guard-like skills. The Strange family recently visited Illinois and came away thoroughly impressed with what they saw in Champaign.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

February 23, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois men’s basketball program recently hosted several recruits on campus for a home game against Indiana at State Farm Center. Among the visitors, few names generated more buzz than Warren Township High School four-star guard Jaxon Davis.

The 6-foot-0, 165-pound standout from Gurnee, Illinois, is widely regarded as one of the state’s premier prospects in the 2027 class. Illinois did not bring Davis to campus as a courtesy visit. The Illini staff, led by assistant coach Zach Hamer, is working diligently to secure his commitment in what is shaping up as a highly competitive recruitment.

In an era when many elite prospects leave their high school programs for national prep schools, Davis has chosen a different path. He has remained at Warren Township, a decision rooted in family, community, and continuity.

Illinois head coach Shauna Green is now 8-0 against […]

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 22, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

LOS ANGELES – Up 23 in the first half, No. 10 Illinois looked untouchable. By the end, it looked stunned.

Following the loss, members of the team were on the same page that the loss stemmed from mental lapses and issues with the team’s scout. The Illini stuck to their scouting report by leaving low-percentage shooters open and playing the numbers game. UCLA made them pay.

“It was so easy early, but there’s no let-up,” head coach Brad Underwood said. “You can’t do that. We let them find a rhythm, and we let really average shooters on their team start making shots and get comfortable, and then it stressed us.”

The bubbling stress culminated at the end of the first half with what Underwood called a freshman mistake from guard Keaton Wagler – a foul on a Trey Perry desperation heave from beyond the arc that was called a shooting foul, leading to three points from the free-throw line. IlliniGuys’ Zeno Jo asked Underwood about whether Illinois’ failures down the stretch simply boiled down to trusting the scout to a fault, which he responded to with a resounding yes.