Basketball - IlliniGuys.com

“It’s a process”: The Continuing Mystery Surrounding Andre Curbelo’s Status

Illinois sophomore point guard Andre Curbelo continues to categorized as inactive with the reasoning for his absence being publicly withheld.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 11, 2021

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois will likely be, once again, without one of its star pieces for a matchup against a Top 15 opponent this weekend with the reason and timetable being a mystery.

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Recruiting: Coveted big man on campus this weekend

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

December 10, 2021

Akil Watson, a 6-foot-9, 200-pound small forward from Roselle, New Jersey, is one of the nation's top forwards, ranked nationally in the top 60 in the 2023 class. It is no longer a secret that the Illinois basketball staff has put themselves in the best position in over a decade when it comes to recruiting. They are consistently landing top four or five recruits, which will pay dividends on the court.

Watson is a recruit Illinois has put the hard press on and is a prospect this staff would love to land. This weekend, it is Watson who will take a very hard look at Illinois with a visit to campus and a deeper dive into all that this program - and the U of I community - has to offer.

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Illini Bow Out of NCAA Tournament With Loss To Nebraska

IlliniGuys Staff December 9, 2021 AUSTIN, Texas -- The […]

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Recruiting: Illini Pursuing 2023 SG from Florida

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys.com Director of Recruiting

December , 2021

Kris Parker courtesy newsbreak.com

Kris Parker, a 6-foot-6, 170-pound shooting guard from Quincy, Florida

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Ayo To Return for Jersey Ceremony Next Month

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) December 8, 2021 Champaign, […]

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Sturdy's 3 Takeaways- Illini Win at Iowa.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

December 7, 2021

The Illini backed up their home win last week with a big road win in Iowa City. The Illini got 21 points apiece from Alfonso Plummer and Jacob Grandison, 18 from Trent Frazier and a dominant 17 and 18 from Kofi Cockburn to move to 2-0 in league play and 7-2 overall. The nation’s leading scorer, Keegan Murray, finished with 19 points but only had 2 in the first half and took 15 shots to do it.

Illinois struggled with 18 turnovers, and Iowa got 26 points off of those turnovers, but dominated the offensive glass 52-23 and won the second chance points battle 24-11.

Here’s a look at what we saw:

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Heat Checks and Hail Marys - Big Win in Iowa City

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuys December 7, 2021 Tonight, the Illini […]

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Jacob Grandison’s Calm & “California Cool” Leads Illini To Victory

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- The “California cool” mentality that Jacob Grandison has mastered as a 23-year-old college basketball player was learned in his kindergarten gym class.

Following a 21-2 run in a first half where everything was going wrong for Illinois and the Carver-Hawkeye Arena crowd was alive for the first time Monday night, Grandison stood around unphased, unrattled and calm to lead the Illini to its first true road win of the 2021-22 season. Grandison, who finished with a team-high 21 points off the bench in the 87-83 win at Iowa, let his athletic ability do the talking - something he learned from his father James before a memorable sprint race among kindergarten-age athletes in the Oakland, Calif. area.

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