Basketball

How a 30-second timeout where Illinois head coach Brad Underwood stayed silent turned a possible defeat into a 98-87 victory in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 16, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

MINNEAPOLIS — With 18 minutes and 37 seconds left, Brad Underwood took a critical 30-second timeout expecting to be the main character of a much-needed, desperation momentum shift. 

Turns out, the Illinois head coach was not even a supporting actor but just a silent spectator. 

“I didn’t say anything,” Underwood said to IlliniGuys.com in the post-game locker room.. “I was prepared to. But I didn’t have to say anything.”

For the first 20 minutes, Illinois didn’t provide much defensive resistance to an inspired Nebraska squad looking to provide an upset to get the Cornhuskers in the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament for the first time in program history. Less than two and a half minutes into the second half, the No. 13 Illini looked disjointed, confused and mentally beaten following a quick 4-0 Nebraska run that push the deficit to 55-40 - Illinois’ biggest hole of its 98-87 come-from-behind victory. 

Illinois outscores Nebraska 58-36 in the second half to […]

Brad Sturdy, Illini Uber-Insider & Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio

March 16, 2024

It should be a shootout at the Target Center on Saturday afternoon when the Illini take on the Nebraska Cornhuskers, a team that looked unbeatable in dismantling Indiana on Friday night. Nebraska Coach Fred Hoiberg knows it will be a tough one:

“We're playing a helluva team tomorrow in Illinois, who gives you matchups problems all over the floor. And when you play this late game and you've got to bounce back and play at 2:30, it's hard. It's really, really hard. We're going to get our guys out of here tonight and let them sleep. I'll send them a first look. Illinois, we've only played them one time this year. Really have to have a good mental day of prep heading into this one, but that's what this time of year is all about. You've got to get ready, move on to the next one, and hopefully go out and play inspired basketball again.”

Inside Illinois fifth-year senior Marcus Domask describing how he was able to handle one of the worst games of his collegiate career. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 16, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS — Friday night was the 138th career collegiate game for Marcus Domask and you’ll forgive the 23-year-old if he chooses to never remember a single second of it. 

Brad Sturdy, Illini Uber-Insider & Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio

March 16, 2024

It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win in an elimination game from a team that did not play well. Illinois defeated Ohio State 77-74, despite trailing by as many as 10 points in the second half and found a way to win and advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinals where they will face another red-hot team, the Nebraska Cornhuskers. 

The Illini started off well, hopping out to an 8-point lead early, before some poor shots and sloppy play allowed the Buckeyes to get right back into the game. After the half the Illini once again looked a bit confused and sloppy, and it allowed OSU to take a 10-point lead before Dain Daina and Terrence Shannon would lead them back. 

These 5 Things (a free Big Ten Tournament Bonus: 2 Additional Things)

With recent disappointing conference tournament performances by Duke, Kansas, Tennessee and Kentucky, Illinois might be using the Big Ten Tournament to sneak into a higher NCAA seed next week. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 16, 2024

MINNEAPOLIS — The door to that final three seed spot in the NCAA Tournament may be painted orange and blue long before Selection Sunday decisions are finalized. 

By IlliniGuys Staff March 15, 2024 (Photo courtesy Joe […]

(Editor's note: Fighting Illini guard Marcus Domask appears each […]

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

March 15, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

With the Ohio State win over Iowa on Thursday evening, the Illini will take on the Buckeyes on Friday evening from the Target Center in Minneapolis. It will be the second meeting between the two teams, with Illinois beating the Buckeyes 87-75 in Columbus back on January 30th before Chris Holtmann was fired and now hired by DePaul. But Jake Diebler has these Buckeyes rolling, having won 5 in a row and 6 of 7 to play their way into NCAA tournament contention. A win over the Illini would move them even closer. 

Setting the Stage

#13 Illinois 23-8, No. 2 Seed vs #10 Seed Ohio State 20-12

Big Ten Tournament // Minneapolis, Minn. // Target Center 

Quarterfinal/ Friday, March 15, 2024 // 5:30 p.m. CT 

TV: BTN – Brandon Gaudin (Play-By-Play), Robbie Hummel (Analyst), Andy Katz (Sideline)

Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

National Radio: Compass Media Networks – Matt Smith (Play-By-Play), Mike Wozniak Satellite

Radio: SiriusXM – 84

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 13, 2024

In the past two years, the NCAA men's basketball transfer portal has proven to be a crucial ally for Illinois, and Head Coach Brad Underwood has strategically utilized it to maintain his team's competitive edge.

Big Ten Announces 2024 Men’s Basketball Postseason Honors ROSEMONT, […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 12, 2024

In the inaugural year of the Shauna Green era, Illinois women's basketball fans experienced a welcome change from years of disappointment. Before Green and her staff arrived in Champaign, Illinois, the program struggled, often serving as an easy win for opponents. 

However, the 22-23 season saw a remarkable turnaround, with the Fighting Illini finishing with a stellar record of 22-10 and 11-7 in the competitive Big Ten Conference, earning a spot in the NCAA Tournament.

Brad Sturdy, Uber Illini Insider and Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports […]

Brad Sturdy, Illini Uber Insider & Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio

March 11, 2024

The Illini beat the Hawkeyes on Senior Day in Iowa City by a 73-61 score behind 25 points from Terrence Shannon to finish the regular season at 23-8 and 14-6 in Big Ten play. Quincy Guerrier had 14 points and 13 rebounds to show the spark from earlier in the season, while Marcus Domask added 11 and Dain Dainja scored 9 off the bench to make the difference as the Illini held the high-powered Hawkeyes in check, Iowa shooting just 36% overall and 33% from 3-point range in their lowest scoring output of the season. 

It was a season of "what ifs" regarding the Shannon suspension, the late leads blown and just ‘one more player’, but this was a successful regular season that continued down the path of setting yourself up for a positive tournament run. Now, they need to complete the run. 

These 3 Things

No. 12 Illinois leads nearly from start to finish […]