basketball recruiting

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

January 23, 2025

The Illini welcome Maryland on Thursday night and the Terps have been a thorn in the side of the Illini over the years. The Terrapins are 15-8 against the Illini and a shocking 6-2 in Champaign, winning over #10 Illinois in January of 2024. The Illini are hoping for a bounce back game after the heartbreaking defeat on Sunday and look to have a very good schedule to start a nice little run, but they will need to take care of the Terrapins first.

Here’s a look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage
#17 Illinois (13-5, 5-3) vs. Maryland (14-5, 4-4)
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 // 8 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: FS1 – Jason Benetti (Play-by-Play) & Bill Raftery (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

January 21, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy Imagn Images)   […]

Illinois vs. #22/22 Michigan State Date | TimeLocationTicketsPromotionsDigital Game ProgramsWatchRadio Live […]

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) January 17, 2025 IOWA […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

January 17, 2025

While the Illini were finishing up round one of portal season, they were also adding to the incoming Class of 2026 with DeKalb wide receiver Davon Grant.  Grant was extremely productive for the DeKalb Barbs with 67 receptions for 1014 yards in his junior year.  Grant was equally productive as a sophomore with 40 receptions on offense but an addition 4 interceptions as a free safety on defense.  What makes him even more impressive is the fact that DeKalb has had very little success in his two years on the varsity with a combined 4 wins over the two years.  Despite that, Grant had offers from the other three nearby Big Ten schools in addition to Illinois: Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.  However, Illinois made Grant a priority and sealed the deal with Grant on the strength of the program's first 10-win season in a generation.  Check out what makes him special:

By IlliniGuys Staff January 16, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) Illinois at RV/-- Indiana Date […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

January 14, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Lincoln Williams, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Kankakee, has become a familiar face on the University of Illinois campus. As a legitimate basketball prospect for the Illini, his visits are a testament to his growing interest in the program. But for Williams, the connection runs deeper—his sister is a proud Illinois graduate.

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood stresses Monday that if his team’s process is solid, the results will take care of themselves - including the results on Tuesday night at Indiana.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 13, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After ending the 2022-23 season on a three-game losing streak, Brad Underwood’s Illinois squad failed to have consecutive losses in the following campaign.

With a 2024-25 season squad that only returns one contributing player, Dravyn Gibbs-Lawhorn, it’s possible trying to find comparisons is a fool’s errand but since the 2020-21 season, the Illinois eight-year head coach is 25-5 in the game immediately after a loss in regular season play. Ironically, Underwood said Monday his team’s ability to, as Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema would say, ‘not allowing one loss to beat you again” comes from “being process oriented” as his team approaches a five-month season.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular and Big Sports Radio […]

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Illini Insider & Co-Host of the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

January 12, 2025

The Illini were humbled on Saturday by the USC Trojans in Champaign, losing 82-72. The Illini shot poorly, which has become a common theme, and they didn’t rebound well enough, which was surprising. Desmond Claude scored at will in the second half, scoring 21 points after the break and 31 for the game, and Illinois struggled to do anything on offense. 

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Illini Insider & Co-Host of the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

January 11, 2025

The Illini welcome the USC Trojans to the State Farm Center in the 10th all-time meeting between the two programs and the first as members of the Big Ten.

After losing two starters this week for the rest of the season and having a six-player rotation, the Illinois women’s basketball program managed to still beat a Top 25 program. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 10, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — What’s left of this Illinois women’s basketball roster would very much prefer for the doubting outside of its locker room to continue. 

(From Illinois Sports Information Office)   Illinois vs. #23/23 […]

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Illini Insider & Co-Host of the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

January 9, 2025

Penn State has been a thorn in the side of Illinois for a while now, going back to the Rich McBride game winner that was waved off in 2006 and then 4 losses in a row, 3 in 2023 and a colossal meltdown a year ago. When Illinois found out about an hour before tipoff that star guard Kasparas Jakucionis was out with a left forearm injury, it seemed like the curse would continue.