Basketball

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.

By IlliniGuys Staff November 23, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 22, 2o24

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Contrasting styles do not make for a competitive fight on the basketball court when it comes to Shauna Green’s Illini women’s basketball squad.

Smaller teams have tried to run with the Illini and failed. Oregon State brought in a frontline of 6-foot-2, 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-7 and attempted a slow-down halfcourt affair. The only simularity between the two styles was the result for the Illinois opponent: Loss.

By IlliniGuys Staff November 22, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

Illinois head coach Shauna Green says her team’s practice plan has changed but not the intensity of how they prepare early on in this 2024-25 season.

Game Notes:

#22 Illinois vs, Oregon State
State Farm Center, Champaign, Ill.
7 p.m. CST (BTN Plus)

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Less than a month into this 2024-25 regular season, the first question by Illinois head coach Shauna Green in the early morning staff meetings is the same: Who is available?

Not even before the Thanksgiving holiday, No. 22 Illinois has seen themselves down to as little as nine active players for practice and games. The Illini (4-0) have already seen All-Big Ten guard Makira Cook and Genesis Bryant miss extended time with minor injuries while already announcing the season-ending injury to 6-foot-7 transfer center Lety Vasconcelos from Baylor and continue to monitor the ongoing back issues of reserve forward Shay Bollin. Then, Illinois saw freshman wing/forward Berry Wallace, a former McDonald’s All-America honoree, be placed in a splint after suffering a fracture in her right hand.

Illinois fifth-year center Kendall Bostic is not only an All-Big Ten player but a multiple-year student teacher making the annual ‘Field Trip Game’ extra special for her.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 21, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Maybe more than anybody else on the Illinois roster, Kendall Bostic’s favorite game of a season has become the ‘Field Trip’ game.

The fifth-year senior, who has now experienced four straight starts at State Farm Center during the annual game where buses of students come to watch an 11 a.m. free admission game, has a special connection to this game as she continues her graduate school work as a teacher in training. Bostic, a three-time All-Big Ten player, is currently pursuing a master's degree from Illinois in special education while doing student teacher work this semester at Urbana Middle School.

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

November 21, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini were beat up by the Alabama offense Wednesday night in Birmingham in the Bama Beatdown. No, this was no Albert Bandura experiment, this was a new fashioned 3 point barrage and analytics dream by the Crimson Tide in a 100-87 win over the youthful Illini.

Although the Illini made a charge in the second half to get within 8 points, the simple fact of the matter is that, at this point in the season, and in Birmingham, Alabama is the better team.

These 3 Things:

By IlliniGuys Staff November 20, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

November 20, 2024

The Illini have their first major test of the season on Wednesday night when they head to Birmingham to take on the #8 Alabama Crimson Tide in the CM Newton Classic. The illini have a tough task in front of them against an Alabama team that is coming off a tough loss at Mackey Arena to the Purdue Boilermakers.

Here are the particulars:

Setting the Stage

C.M. Newton Classic
#25/#20 Illinois (3-0) vs. #8/#7 Alabama (3-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024 // 8 p.m. CT // Birmingham, Ala. // Legacy Arena
TV: SEC Network – Tom Hart (Play-by-Play), Jimmy Dykes (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Doug Altenberger

Notable

*No. 25 Illinois (3-0) opens a stretch of four games in nine days across three different cities on Wednesday night vs. No. 8 Alabama (3-1) at the C.M. Newton Classic (8 p.m. CT/SEC Network) at Legacy Arena in Birmingham. The Fighting Illini are off to a 3-0 start with home wins over Eastern Illinois (112-67), SIUE (90-58) and Oakland (66-54). Wednesday’s game is the Illini’s first away from State Farm Center. Illinois entered the Top 25 of the AP poll, at No. 25, for the first time this season, and remained ranked No. 20 in the coaches poll. Head Coach Brad Underwood now has the Fighting Illini program ranked for a sixth consecutive season.

By Larry Smith - Co-Host & Executive Producer, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

November 19, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

(Editor's Note - Larry has covered 12 Final Fours and hosted more than 3,000 shows for CNN Sports, Turner Sports, and NBATV. The Emmy, Peabody, and Murrow Award winner is currently the studio host for the WNBA on Ion Friday night show.)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - When the Illinois football team returned home from its record-setting 63-21 victory over Virginia in the Micronpc.com Bowl in Miami on New Year's Eve, 1999, they had no idea they were about to make school history.

A few days later, Florida State defeated Virginia Tech and its dazzling freshman quarterback named Michael Vick to win the national championship. And when the Associated Press unveiled its final rankings the next day on January 5th, they rewarded the Illini with their only spot in the polls all season at #24.

Illini sports history was made on that day. 

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

November 18, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

The Illini are off to a 3-0 start as they prep for Alabama on Wednesday night. Let’s take a look at where they are and what areas of concern have presented themselves early on in the season.

Is KJ Doing Enough?

Kasparas Jakucionis is on some draft boards as a lottery pick

By IlliniGuys Staff November 18, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting November […]