basketball recruiting

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

December 6, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

The Illini have enjoyed their week off but they begin what is a high major gauntlet on Friday night as they head to Evanston to take on Northwestern for their Big Ten opener. The Cats are coming off a heartbreaking loss in their Big Ten opener at Iowa, while the Illini are coming off of a big win over Arkansas on Thanksgiving and have seen their national profile explode.

Let’s look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage

#19/17 Illinois (6-1, 0-0 B1G) at Northwestern (6-3, 0-1 B1G)
Friday, Dec. 6, 2024 // 8 p.m. CT // Evanston, Ill. // Welsh-Ryan Arena
TV: BTN – Kevin Kugler (Play-by-Play) & Robbie Hummel (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Doug Altenberger

Notable

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

December 3, 2024

The Illinois basketball team is off to a 5-1 start after their win over Arkansas on Thanksgiving Day and now will take the week to prepare for a daunting upcoming schedule and the beginning of Big Ten play. The Illini will travel to Evanston on Friday evening to take on the always tough Northwestern Wildcats before heading home to take on one of the biggest surprises in the country in the #11 Wisconsin Badgers on Tuesday in a key matchup of top 25 teams. Then #3 Tennessee comes to town on Saturday December 14th. A week off for finals and the Illini head to St. Louis to face a much improved Missouri team in a rivalry tussle at noon on December 22. All before Christmas.

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

November 28, 2024

It’s finally here. After much hype and anticipation, the Illinois v Arkansas matchup on Thanksgiving Day in Kansas City has arrived. The matchup features a ton of storylines, brother v brother, coach v coach, etc., but most importantly this is a key non-conference matchup between two teams that have a great opportunity to go deep in March. A win on Thursday not only means that the turkey tastes better, but gives the winner a key win for seeding in the 2025 NCAA tournament.

Let’s look at the matchup.

Setting the Stage

Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase
Illinois (5-1) vs. #19/#21 Arkansas (5-1)
Thursday, Nov. 28, 2024 // 3 p.m. CT // Kansas City, Mo. // T-Mobile Center
TV: CBS – Ian Eagle (Play-by-Play), Bill Raftery (Analyst), John Rothstein (Reporter) Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

Notable

*Illinois (5-1) closes a stretch of four games in nine days across three different cities, with a Thanksgiving Day matchup against No. 19-ranked Arkansas (5-1) in the Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. (3 p.m. CT/CBS).

*The Illini are coming off of the team’s two largest victory margins of the season – vs. UMES (+47, 87-40) on Saturday and vs. Little Rock (+58, 92-34) on Monday – to improve to 5-0 at home this season, with an average scoring margin of 38.8 points.

*Monday’s win over Little Rock marked the 148th victory of Brad Underwood’s Illini tenure. In his eighth season in Champaign, Underwood now ranks fifth on the Illinois all-time coaching wins list.

*Newcomers to the Illini roster have accounted for 90.1% of the team’s scoring so far (484 of 534 total points), with UI freshmen accounting for 38.7% of those points (207).

*Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks among the top teams nationally in: scoring margin (7th in NCAA, +30.2), 3-point attempts per game (1st, 34.3), 3-pointers made per game (10th, 11.3), total rebounds per game (1st, 50.2), rebound margin (1st, +17.3), defensive rebounds per game (3rd, 34.5), and offensive rebounds per game (13th, 15.7)

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

November 25, 2024

The Illini had a quick 1-day turnaround as they get ready to face Arkansas-Little Rock, now known as just Little Rock, on Monday night. It’s a great preparation for NCAA turnarounds and travel, as the Illini will then head to Kansas City for a tough matchup with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Little Rock will be the toughest home opponent that the Illini have seen this season from a talent standpoint and are picked to win the OVC.

Let's look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage

#25 Illinois (4-1) vs. Little Rock (3-3)
Monday, Nov. 25, 2024 // 8 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: Big Ten Network – Mike Hall (Play-by-Play), Bruce Weber (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

Notable

-No. 25 Illinois (4-1) continues a stretch of what will be four games in nine days across three different cities, hosting Little Rock Monday night at State Farm Center (8 p.m. CT/BTN). This is Illinois’ lone 1-day prep of the regular season, following Saturday afternoon’s 87-40 win over UMES.

-Illinois has won all four of its home games thus far by outscoring opponents by an average of 34 points. Overall, the Illini carry a nine-game non-conference home winning streak.

-Brad Underwood is one victory away from tying J. Craig Ruby (1923-36) for fifth place on the Illinois all-time coaching wins list. Calling Monday’s game for Big Ten Network is Bruce Weber, who ranks third on that list with 210 wins during his nine seasons in Champaign (2004-12).

-Up next, Illinois will head to Kansas City to face No. 20 Arkansas in the Thanksgiving Hoops Showcase. It will air nationally on CBS at 3 p.m., after the Chicago Bears-Detroit Lions NFL game.

-Newcomers to the Illini roster have accounted for 90.7% of the team’s scoring so far (401 of 442 total points), with UI freshmen accounting for 37.3% of those points (165). Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks among the top teams nationally in: 3-pointers per game (9th in NCAA, 11.6), 3-point attempts per game (1st, 35.0), total rebounds per game (2nd, 49.0), offensive rebounds per game (18th, 15.0) defensive rebounds per game (3rd, 34.0), and rebound margin (7th, +14.8).

-Monday’s contest is the fourth meeting in the series between Illinois and Little Rock. • The Fighting Illini are 3-0 all-time vs. Little Rock, with all three victories coming at State Farm Center. • Head coach Lou Henson’s No. 7-ranked Flyin’ Illini defeated Little Rock 107-88 in the first matchup in the series, Dec. 10, 1988. Henson and the Illini beat the Trojans again, 83-72, on Dec. 15, 1990. In the most recent meeting in the series, head coach Bruce Weber led the No. 11 Illini to a 75-49 win on Dec. 5, 2005. Last season, the Illini opened up their run to the Elite Eight with a victory over OVC champion Morehead State, who beat Little Rock to get their bid.

A Little About Little Rock…

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

November 24, 2024

There have been some laughers at the State Farm Center, but few reached the level of the domination of Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday afternoon as the Illini cruised to an 87-40. As Brad Underwood noted post game, the most exciting play of the game was the video board highlight of the Pat Bryant run to the endzone against Rutgers. Nevertheless, the Illini took care of business and continue on their collision course with Arkansas on Thursday.

These 3 Things:

Improving Defense -

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

November 24, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — On signing day last week, Illinois basketball fans noticed one expected announcement didn't send in his letter. Brandon Lee, a committed 6-foot-4, 180-pound combo guard from Hillside, New Jersey, delayed sending in his Big Ten Athletics Scholarship Agreement.

However, Lee, who attends The Patrick School, officially made his commitment on November 19, solidifying his plans to join the Fighting Illini next season.

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