Basketball

After winning the Big Ten Conference’s Sixth Man of […]

Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis will attempt to become the […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

Photo courtesy of eurohoops.net

April 13, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – A lot has happened in Illini basketball land since my last report, so let’s get going with the latest update.

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

April 13, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women's basketball program didn’t panic when players entered the transfer portal or committed to other programs. Illinois is looking for a certain type of player, and they continue to live by their creed: They do things #OneWay.

The Nike Hoop Summit is a week-long event held in Portland featuring the top young players from across the globe culminating with a USA v the World game on Saturday night.

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Insider

April 13, 2025

Numerous players that will eventually make an impact in both college and the NBA participate and on Saturday the Illini got to check out a pair of players they have interest in.

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

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

April 11, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The recent miss of former Iowa Hawkeye sharpshooter Josh Dix to Creighton may have taken the spotlight away from a major addition to Illinois’ roster for the 2025-26 season: Zvonimir Ivisic. The 7-foot-2, 245-pound forward joins his twin brother Tomislav in Champaign from the transfer portal from Arkansas, and while the move didn’t seem to grab headlines, it certainly should have.

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

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team ended the 2024-25 season with a 75-84 loss to Kentucky in Milwaukee during the second round of the NCAA Tournament last month.

Since that game, a lot has changed for Illinois basketball. The NCAA transfer portal opened on March 24 and will close on April 22. Since the portal opened, the Illini have lost the following players:

April 9, 2025

Here is the latest from IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy on the IlliniGuys premium message boards:

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

April 8, 2025

Lost in the announcements of players like Kylan Boswell, Tomislav Ivisic, Ty Rodgers and Jake Davis returning, as well as portal additions like Zvonimir Ivisic, the Illini have another 6’10 post player looking to be in the mix up front next season. 2024 graduate and 4-star top 100 recruit Jason Jakstys used his redshirt season to improve his strength, gain weight and increase his readiness to play in 2025-26.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting 

April 7, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Believe it or not, Illinois will have a basketball roster, with players that many might not be familiar with, but the Illini are still finding the right fit. From the look of things, Illinois continues to search for players who are proven shooters with today's news.

On Monday, the Illini received a commitment from 6-foot-9, 250-pound power forward David Mirkovic from Serbia (Montenegro). The Illini are looking to replace freshman Morez Johnson Jr. with a player who brings a more refined perimeter game. Mirkovic is a better shooter from the floor, can put the ball on the deck, and finish both great rebounders. The difference appears to be that those skills come naturally for Mirkovic and he's proven it.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular April 7, 2025 Duke […]

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

April 6, 2025

(Editor's note: Larry covered 12 Final Fours in person during his CNN Sports career and has continued his work with the Turner Sports' March Madness coverage in recent years.)

(Cover photo courtesy The Spun)

Saturday night in San Antonio was as thrilling as we thought it would be. Two clashes of titans with epic finishes. Any result would have been appropriate, as there was little argument going in about any one team being better than the others.

The Alamodome has seen similar drama in the past. The 2004 national semifinals delivered the nail-biting UConn win over Duke, a game marred by a multitude of referees' whistles spurred by the expletive-filled tirade that Blue Devils legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski blasted at officials during the first media timeout after the halftime, one that the television audience at home never knew about. Then there was 2008 and North Carolina rallying from a 28-point first half deficit, but failing to overtake the eventual national champion Jayhawks.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Each year in college basketball, no player or roster is safe anymore. Illinois is not the only team dealing with roster changes. The difference is that while some programs have players exiting like Illinois, others are bringing talent in. For example, Michigan picked up Illinois' Morez Johnson Jr. last week. Saturday morning they added UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg and lost Tre Donaldson to Miami.