Basketball

After being forced to watch the opening round of the 2025 NCAA Urbana Regional, Illinois freshman Trey Marrion fires a 1-under 70 after being subbed in.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 13, 2025

URBANA, Ill. — One of the main reasons Illinois men’s basketball head coach Brad Underwood and Illinois men’s golf head coach Mike Small have been good friends is the mentality, energy and discipline they both run their programs.

The major, obvious difference about the two men is how the sport Underwood leads forces him to use his bench while Small very much does not. So, Tuesday may have just been a perfect day where Underwood arrived at Atkins Golf Club as a spectator to watch his buddy go to his bench to maintain lead in the second round of the 2025 NCAA Urbana Regional.

Illinois sophomore Max Herendeen angered over double-bogey finish; Several […]

Both Illinois senior Jackson Buchanan and Illini squad hold […]

Don’t be surprised if halfway into this NCAA Urbana Regional, Illinois junior Ryan Voois sneaks his way near the top of the leaderboard with a solid, yet unassuming style of play.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 12, 2025

URBANA, Ill. — It should come as no surprise that Ryan Voois is a finance major while also being a relied upon veteran golfer at the University of Illinois.

Because if there’s a single player who has studied and ironed out his game according to critical statistics to his success, it is the 21-year-old Californian analytical darling of Mike Small’s 2024-25 Illini roster.

21 players in the 75-player NCAA Urbana Regional are ranked inside the Top 200 amateur players in the world as Illinois hosts its first NCAA postseason event. 
By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 12, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill.  — If you’re looking for star power in collegiate men’s golf this week, the NCAA Urbana Regional should be your focal point. 

Among the 75-player field that will tee off Monday morning, 21 players are ranked within the top 180 amateur golfers in the world and 10 players are within the top 65 in the world. 

All five of the top teams (top-seeded Oklahoma State, No. 2 seed North Carolina, No. 3 and host Illinois, No. 4 seed Texas Tech and No. 5 seed Long Beach State0 have multiple players ranked inside the top 180. 

“It’s a [NCAA] Regional. This field is good,” Illinois head coach Mike Small said. “What people may not realize is there are some teams in this field with high quality players who have beaten us up recently. Long Beach State beat us in Hawaii this year and they’re the 5-seed. UNLV has beat us twice this year and they’re the six seed. Marquette beat us and they’re the eight seed. There are some really good mid-major programs that are in Urbana this week that are extremely good teams.” 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 11, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy North Carolina Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – IlliniGuys staff learned late Friday night that Penn State transfer Puff Johnson, a 6-foot-8, 210-pound wing from Moon Township, Pa., with one year of eligibility remaining, has some interest in playing for Illinois.

Illinois sophomore Max Herendeen has already built a reputation of playing his best in the big tournaments but the 2025 Urbana Regional is another test for the 20-year-old star.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 11, 2025

URBANA, Ill.  — For a men’s golf tradition like Illinois that can boast having nine NCAA Championship match play appearances, six NCAA Regional Championship titles, two NCAA individual medalists, nine Big Ten Championship individual winners and 19 All-American players, it’s still not ridiculous to claim Max Herendeen arrived in Champaign-Urbana with the most talent of any player to sign with Mike Small’s program.

After electing to make the decision to go 2,086 miles away from his Pacific Northwest home of Bellevue, Wash., to play for the Illini, Herendeen came to Small’s championship-level program to do exactly what he accomplished as a collegiate golfer - win.

Illinois head coach Mike Small believes his senior and […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 9, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

URBANA, Ill. — The initial application paperwork sent to NCAA offices by the University of Illinois officials never included the date 2025.

When the University of Illinois took ownership of the 300 acres of real estate in June 2020, university officials that included athletics director Josh Whitman, associate athletics director Jackie Szymoniak, Atkins Golf Club general manager Jim Buyze, Atkins Golf superintendent Nate Massey and Illinois men’s golf head coach Mike Small never anticipated getting rewarded an NCAA regional that quickly.

“Yes, the [request for proposal] that we filled out and sent to Indianapolis certainly had a different timeline on it,” Buyze said in a phone interview with IlliniGuys.com.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

May 9, 2025

No sooner had Alex Bray put his name in the transfer portal than University of Northern Iowa's defensive lineman Carter Hewitt committed to the Illini for his last year of college football. 

So, did the Illini win this "trade"?  I'd say so, by just a little bit. 

Illinois Receives Commitment From State Champion Blake Fagbemi

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 7, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – We at IlliniGuys didn't believe the Illini were done with recruiting and it turns out they weren't. Late tonight, we confirmed that 5-foot-10 guard Blake Fagbemi has joined Illinois' 2025 class.

Illinois finishes ninth in its seventh NCAA Regional appearance […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 7, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With “Portal Kombat” becoming a major storyline for Division I basketball players, some high school recruits are paying attention to schools to see if they’re being recruited over, but not running from competition.

Illinois four-star recruit Keaton Wagler is one of them, but he's not scared. The 6-foot-4, 175-pound shooting guard from Shawnee, Kansas, is known as a scorer. That’s part of the reason Illinois associate head coach Orlando Antigua convinced head coach Brad Underwood that Wagler is a steal.

Illinois tumbles to 10th in NCAA Columbus Regional but […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 6, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Dennis Scheidt)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois women’s basketball program has plenty to be excited about in its 2025 recruiting class. ESPN ranks the class eighth nationally and No. 1 in the Big Ten, with UCLA close behind. World Exposure Report has the Illini at No. 11.

Replacing scoring will be a priority next season. Illinois Nation was thrilled when Villanova transfer guard Maddie Webber committed to the Illini, bringing a scoring punch to the wing. Still, fans continue to ask if another piece will be added, particularly in the post. According to sources, there is a good chance, but the more important question may be whether Illinois truly needs more.

One reason that answer may be “no” is freshman Manuela Alves-Fernandez, a 6-foot-3 wing/post player from IMG Academy.