Basketball

By IlliniGuys Staff November 20, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

November 20, 2024

The Illini have their first major test of the season on Wednesday night when they head to Birmingham to take on the #8 Alabama Crimson Tide in the CM Newton Classic. The illini have a tough task in front of them against an Alabama team that is coming off a tough loss at Mackey Arena to the Purdue Boilermakers.

Here are the particulars:

Setting the Stage

C.M. Newton Classic
#25/#20 Illinois (3-0) vs. #8/#7 Alabama (3-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 // 8 p.m. CT // Birmingham, Ala. // Legacy Arena
TV: SEC Network – Tom Hart (Play-by-Play), Jimmy Dykes (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Doug Altenberger

Notable

*No. 25 Illinois (3-0) opens a stretch of four games in nine days across three different cities on Wednesday night vs. No. 8 Alabama (3-1) at the C.M. Newton Classic (8 p.m. CT/SEC Network) at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. The Fighting Illini are off to a 3-0 start with home wins over Eastern Illinois (112-67), SIUE (90-58) and Oakland (66-54). Wednesday’s game is the Illini’s first away from State Farm Center. Illinois entered the Top 25 of the AP poll, at No. 25, for the first time this season, and remained ranked No. 20 in the coaches poll. Head Coach Brad Underwood now has the Fighting Illini program ranked for a sixth consecutive season.

By Larry Smith - Co-Host & Executive Producer, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

November 19, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

(Editor's Note - Larry has covered 12 Final Fours and hosted more than 3,000 shows for CNN Sports, Turner Sports, and NBATV. The Emmy, Peabody, and Murrow Award winner is currently the studio host for the WNBA on Ion Friday night show.)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When the Illinois football team returned home from its record-setting 63-21 victory over Virginia in the Micronpc.com Bowl in Miami on New Year's Eve, 1999, they had no idea they were about to make school history.

A few days later, Florida State defeated Virginia Tech and its dazzling freshman quarterback named Michael Vick to win the national championship. And when the Associated Press unveiled its final rankings the next day on January 5th, they rewarded the Illini with their only spot in the polls all season at #24.

Illini sports history was made on that day. 

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

November 18, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

The Illini are off to a 3-0 start as they prep for Alabama on Wednesday night. Let’s take a look at where they are and what areas of concern have presented themselves early on in the season.

Is KJ Doing Enough?

Kasparas Jakucionis is on some draft boards as a lottery pick

By IlliniGuys Staff November 18, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting November […]

November 15, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy USA Today) Checking […]

Illinois frontcourt pieces, specifically Kendall Bostic, hold EIU’s top player to just two points in an 84-37 win. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 14, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In nearly every sense of the idea, Eastern Illinois would’ve been fine with packing up and leaving State Farm Center with eight minutes left to go in third quarter. 

By Illini Guys Staff November 14, 2024 (Cover photo […]

Details on Shauna Green’s salary and contract incentives were […]

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGyuys Director of Recruiting November […]

By IlliniGuys Staff November 13, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

November 13, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

The Illini are home again on Wednesday night as they take on the Oakland Grizzlies in a non conference matchup. The Grizzlies are coached by longtime coach Greg Kampe, who got his 700th win last week, and are coming off of a round of 32 performance a year ago that saw them beat Kentucky and lose in OT to North Carolina State.

Here’s a look at what to expect.

Setting the Stage

#20 Illinois (2-0) vs. Oakland (1-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024 // 8 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: Big Ten Network – Jeff Levering (Play-by-Play), Stephen Bardo (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

Notable

Last season, the Golden Grizzlies fell, 64-53, on the road against the Fighting Illini but kept it close throughout. Oakland only trailed by one heading into halftime, as both teams traded points in the second half with several lead changes before Illinois broke free and went ahead by 10+ with 3:16 to play

The Golden Grizzlies (1-1, 0-0 HL) split its pair of games in the first week of play, as the team opened the season up at home with a 75-52 win over Defiance, which was head coach Greg Kampe's 700th career win, followed by an 87-43 loss at Boise State.

In the season opening win Monday, Nov. 4, DQ Cole led Oakland with 15 points and three assists, while Buru Naivalurua posted a double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Cooper Craggs added 14 points and five rebounds, contributing to a dominant team performance.Oakland led, 33-23, at halftime, out-rebounding Defiance 31-18 and holding an edge in shooting and points in the paint. In the second half, Oakland extended its lead, with highlights from Naivalurua, Craggs and a three-point streak by Malcolm Christie. By game's end, the Golden Grizzlies had a 51-28 rebounding advantage and shot .433 from the field, sealing a convincing 75-52 victory to start the season.

The Golden Grizzlies opened up its three-game road trip against Boise State (RV) Wednesday, Nov. 6. Naivalurua and Allen Mukeba led the Golden Grizzlies with 10 points each, while Jayson Woodrich grabbed a team-high seven rebounds. Boise State jumped to an early lead and extended it to 30 by halftime, as Oakland struggled offensively, shooting just .226 from the field in the first half. The Golden Grizzlies improved slightly in the second half but couldn't close the gap, finishing the game at a .273 clip from the field, compared to Boise State's .532.

Naivalurua leads the Golden Grizzlies with his 23 points, good for 11.5 points per game, and nearly averages a double-double with his 9.5 rebounds per game. Along with Naivalurua, Cole and Mukeba average double-digit points, as Woodrich is tied off the boards with Naivalurua with 9.5 per game.

As a team, the Golden Grizzlies average 59.0 points per game while it gives up 69.5 per game. At the glass, Oakland leads with 41.0 boards per game with a positive margin of 4.0. From the floor, Oakland shoots at a .353 clip with a .207 clip from range.

The Fighting Illini are off to a 2-0 start, with a 112-67 season-opening victory over Eastern Illinois followed by a 90-58 victory over SIUE in front of a sellout crowd last Friday. Illinois will face Oakland for just the fifth time in program history. The Illini are 4-0 all-time vs. the Golden Grizzlies, with all three wins coming at State Farm Center, including last season’s 64-53 win.

Illinois enters Wednesday’s contest having won seven consecutive home games vs. non conference opponents. Illinois is looking to start 3-0 or better for the fourth time under Brad Underwood, and the second time in three seasons after starting the 2022-23 season 4-0.

As a team, Illinois ranks top five nationally in free-throw attempts per game (2nd, 37.0) and free-throws made per game (5th, 26.5), 3-pointers made per game (2nd; 15.5) and 3-point attempts per game (4th; 40.0), and rebounds per game (2nd; 52.5) and defensive rebounds per game (4th; 37.5).

The Illini have made at least 15 3-pointers in each of their first two games, the first time the program has recorded multiple games with 15+ triples in a season since 2021-22. The team’s 31 triples are the secondmost in school history over a two-game span, trailing only the 34 combined made threes against Arizona (16) on Dec. 11, 2021 and St. Francis PA (18) on Dec. 18, 2021.

Illinois sits just outside the Top 25 of the AP poll, receiving the most points (144) among unranked teams for the second straight poll. The Illini moved up from No. 24 to No. 20, meanwhile, in the coaches poll.

Keys to the Game

Control the Pace -

(From Illinois Sports Information Office)   CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Illinois forward Will […]