Basketball

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood is just 1-5 inside the home of the NBA’s Chicago Bulls and hasn’t picked up a victory there since 2018.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 10, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Despite the idea the University of Illinois boasts having its largest alumni base in Chicago, Brad Underwood would still have some trouble calling the United Center his program’s home away from home.

While the Illinois alumni representation in the third-largest city in the United States comes out to approximately two out of every five graduates working in Chicago, this orange and blue fanbase hasn’t resulted in program wins inside the city’s largest indoor sports arena. In his nine seasons leading the Illini men’s basketball program, Underwood has only one win inside the United Center - an overtime victory over Northwestern in the opening round of the 2019 Big Ten Conference Tournament. And the near six-year drought of futility inside the Chicago Bulls home arena hasn’t been for a lack of trying.

So when Illinois (24-7) will debut in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal round on Friday (approx. 1:30 p.m. CST, Big Ten Network), it will represent a chance to turn around a embarrassing history of losses to quality competition in the building with Michael Jordan’s statue looming large and just 138 miles north of the Illini’s home arena in Champaign.

“It’s obviously a great, great basketball city inside Chicago and we’ve got a great number of alums, donors and supporters there,” Underwood said

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

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

March 9, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

For the first 36 minutes neither team took a lead larger than two possessions before Illinois took control and then weathered a Maryland rally to win 78-72 and finish in a tie for 2nd place in the Big Ten at 15-5 and at 24-7 overall. David Mikrovic led the way with 22 points and 12 rebounds for Illinois while Maryland got 30 from Andre Mills, another guard that torched the Illini D.

Here’s a quick recap:

These 3 Things

Closing Time - The Illini have lost 3 ‘close’ games in a row (in overtime) and their last 3 wins have been blowouts. Brad Underwood didn't like my question in the postgame press conference, but finding a way to win on the road in a tight game should be a positive thing for this Illinois team.

The program-record eighth road win in Big Ten Conference […]

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

March 8, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

The Illini are in College Park, Maryland for their regular season finale as they try to solidify a top 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament and a 2 seed in the NCAA tourney and a trip to St. Louis for the opening weekend. Maryland has struggled all season, but they will always bring the effort. Illinois is coming off a get-right game win over Oregon on Senior Night and should be well rested headed into the postseason after a grind of 11 games in 30 days.

Here’s a look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage
#11 Illinois (23-7, 14-5 B1G) at Maryland (11-19, 4-15 B1G)
Sunday, March 8, 2026 // 2 p.m. CT (3 p.m. ET) // College Park, Md. // XFINITY Center
TV: FOX – Brandon Gaudin (Play-by-Play) & Steve Smith (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

Notable
*Illinois has a seed range of 3-5 for the Big Ten Tournament, set for March 10-15 at the United Center in Chicago. With a win today, the Illini will lock up a triple-bye into Friday's quarterfinals. With a win over the Terrapins on Sunday and a Nebraska loss to Iowa they can still grab the 3 seed. However, an upset loss at Maryland and Illinois would get the 5-seed and be forced to play an extra game Thursday night.

*Illinois has six Quad 1A wins, tied for third-most in the NCAA behind Duke (9) and Michigan (7). Illinois has eight total wins in Quad 1, tied for sixth nationally.

*Illinois is looking for its 15th conference win, which would tie Brad Underwood's 2022 Big Ten title squad for the second-most league wins in school history. His 2021 team won a school-record 16 B1G games.

*Illinois is also trying for its eighth road win in Big Ten play, which would tie the program record set in 2021. Illinois is aiming for its 24th overall win, which would be its most during the regular season in the last 20 years. The 2006 Illini squad, led by seniors Dee Brown and James Augustine, won 25 regular season games. Illinois has secured its seventh straight 20-win regular season. Illinois, Gonzaga, Houston and San Diego State are the only four teams to win at least 20 regular season games every year since 2019-20. Illinois leads the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (131.8), owning what currently stands as the highest offensive rating in the history of the kenpom era (since 1996-97).

*Keaton Wagler is ranked No. 5 in the kenpom national player of the year standings, second in the B1G to Michigan's Yaxel Lendenborg (3) and ahead of Michigan State's Jeremy Fears (6) and Purdue's Braden Smith (7).

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

March 7, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy FIBA)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – As the college basketball season winds down, attention across the country begins shifting toward recruiting and roster building for the future. For Illinois, the coming months could be especially important as the program evaluates remaining targets in the 2026 class.

With the transfer portal expected to become active and uncertainty surrounding what the Illini roster will ultimately look like next season, the coaching staff continues to evaluate players who can help Illinois compete at a high level. Some recruits who are currently committed elsewhere could reopen their recruitment, while others remain uncommitted and are approaching decisions.

IlliniGuys insider and analyst Brad Sturdy, co-host of the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular, joined me in breaking down several high school prospects we believe Illinois has the best chance to land in the 2026 class.

Illinois already has three commitments secured in the class. Lucas Morillo, a 6-foot-7 guard from the Newman School in Boston, Massachusetts, Ethan Brown, a 6-foot-4 combo guard from Rolla Senior High School in Missouri, and Landon Davis, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Waukee Northwest High School in Iowa have already pledged to the Illini.

Below is a look at several remaining targets Illinois is heavily pursuing.

Illinois head coach Shauna Green feels two wins in the Big Ten Tournament and at least two weeks in between a NCAA Tournament game could be exactly what her team needs.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 7, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

INDIANAPOLIS — Two more wins and a two-week break before playing again has Illinois coaches and players leaving Gainbridge Fieldhouse feeling energized about an upcoming NCAA Tournament.

Illini head coach Shauna Green watched her extremely veteran team limp figuratively and literally to the finish of a 2024-25 campaign with injuries and a frustrating one-and-done experience in the Big Ten Tournament. Two weeks later, Illinois did earned its first NCAA Tournament win since 2000 but Green was leaving Indianapolis with more questions than answers about how her team would react to a national postseason experience.

On Friday night following a 64-58 loss to No. 9 Iowa, Green sees a completely flipped script with her youthful Illini squad that completed three games in three night that included a tight 71-69 win over No. 18 Michigan State on Thursday evening.

“The understanding what it takes in a win or go home environment, the understanding how to have quick turnarounds and still be able to get a scout in, and again, with a team that has never been through a lot of this stuff together,” Green said on Friday night about what she quickly learned about her Illinois team this week. “A ton of things we can learn from it. A ton of things we're going to carry into the (NCAA) Tournament with us, and a ton of things that can really propel us into next year.”

A furious fourth-quarter was not enough to knock off […]

Closing out a 71-69 victory over No. 18 Michigan State in the second round of the Big Ten Women’s Basketball Tournament, should remove the age and experience excuse from this Illinois squad.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 5, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

INDIANAPOLIS — The core group of this University of Illinois women’s basketball team would like for you and anybody else from now on to tag off any tag that uses the words ‘youthful’, ‘inexperienced’, ‘raw’ or ‘immature’.

Following a 71-69 win over No. 18 Michigan State in the second round of the 2026 Big Ten Tournament, the perceived baby Illini, who arrived at Gainbridge Fieldhouse this week, have announced to the college basketball world they’re wearing their big girl pants from now on.

“They're just learning,” Illinois head coach Shauna Green said Thursday night. “Probably my favorite moment of the game was walking into a timeout and seeing them pointing (at the dry erase board) and talking to the point for me to have to say, be quiet, listen to me. It's an amazing, beautiful thing that, as a coach, I knew right then, okay, we're growing. We’re getting better.”

Throughout the four months of regular season play, Illinois has worn the moniker of being the third-youngest power conference roster and youngest roster in the Big Ten Conference. No more after Thursday night.

By IlliniGuys Staff March 5, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

March 5, 2026

As I was leaving the game on Tuesday night we somehow got into a conversation about Disney and Star Wars and so I couldn't resist using that in my title. Illinois guard Andrej Stojakovic Was The Phantom Menace against Michigan but was exceptional against Oregon with 21 points in a career high 12 rebounds, not to mention to assist for good measure. We could have gone with the Return of the Stoja or The Stoja Awakens, or maybe even the Attack of the Stoj. Regardless, it was good to have the good Andrej back against Oregon as he led the Illini to an 80-54 drubbing of the Ducks.

-Stojakovic can be a difference maker for this team. Yes, they want to play at a slow pace and that really doesn't fit his game, but they have to have a balance and they have to be able to take advantage of Fast Break opportunities. Stojakovic is the one player that can take advantage and get out and transition and finish on the break. The odd part about Andre is that it seems his defense and rebounding only come about when he gets opportunities on offense. Yes, Illinois wants to play through Keaton Wagler and that makes sense. But as we saw on Tuesday Illinois can score by playing through Stojakovic in isolation situations. He essentially won the Texas Tech game and if he can continue to share the ball when the defense collapses as he did on Tuesday it is huge for the Illini.

-Tomi is 2 for his last 15 from 3. Big Z is 2 for his last 16. Underwood wants Tomi especially to keep shooting, but he needs to start making some. Z looked like the old shot blocking Z, and he rebounded well, but he is so inconsistent from game to game, and even minute to minute.

-How did Oregon get so bad so fast? And how did they beat Wisconsin?

-David Mirkovic continues to impress. In many years he is a Freshman All-American. He is now shooting 41% from 3 in Big Ten play and continues to rebound at a high clip. His defense is actually a little underrated as well. He is going to be a star next season.

-AJ Redd stole the show on Senior night, but how about the pass from Mihailo Petrovic? It’s easy for players to be selfish late in blowouts, but Petro understood the assignment.

Illinois freshman point guard Destiny Jackson has spent the last four months trying to prove she doesn’t act or play like a first-year player. These next few day of a Big Ten Tournament might prove it.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 5, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

INDIANAPOLIS — There was a point during the second half of its Big Ten Tournament opening round win Wednesday night where Illinois players and coaches would’ve wanted the basketball in the hands of one person and one person only.

And it should come as little to no surprise that the person who Shauna Green and company wearing orange and blue feel the most comfortable minute to minute, possession to possession, dribble to dribble executing everything precisely. The destiny of Illinois’ postseason fate literally and figuratively resides in the fate of a 5-foot-6 guard playing in her first collegiate postseason inside an NBA/WNBA arena.

Illinois center Lety Vasconcelos provided her best game of the 2025-26 season in the Illini’s first round league tournament victory on Wednesday night.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 4, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

INDIANAPOLIS — As they took the elevator ride up a couple floors of Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Illinois head coach Shauna Green joked with Lety Vasconcelos that she likely didn’t believe the 6-foot-7 center would be joining her for this post-game media conference.

Sure, the Brazilian native, who has battled multiple knee injuries in her collegiate career, hasn’t had a double-figure scoring output throughout the 2025-26 season and hadn’t produced more than six rebounds in Big Ten Conference play. However, what might have made it a safe bet that Vasconcelos could be a non-factor in this Big Ten Tournament opening round contest was a coach-player blowup in the practice on Tuesday inside Ubben Basketball Complex in Champaign before the Illini left for Indianapolis.

“I just lit into her,” Green said Wednesday night. “I'm like, I know you want to be great I know you want to be elite. It needs to be better. I'm telling you that there was that practice and (in the game Wednesday night) she's up there flying in for rebounds. It was so different.”

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

Maddie Webber, who has scored 1,000 points in her collegiate career, will be a key bench element to Illinois’ run through the month of March as they begin postseason play tonight.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 4, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — With Illinois struggling so much to find consistency in their starts after two-day preparations, Shauna Green hopes the schedule postseason play is the solution to this problem.

Essentially, from a layman’s perspective, more games and less practice might just be the best thing for this team to concentrate on.

“The honest answer is we’ll see, right? Maybe it’s about us just telling them to go play and not worry about so much. I really don’t know at this point,” Green said. “What I do know is March is about executing and being able to perform and it’s really not so much about preparation and practice time anymore.