Basketball

Sturdy's Illini Basketball Preview - Chicago State at Illinois

Sturdy's Illini Basketball Preview - Chicago State at Illinois

Brad Sturdy, Illini-Insider & Co-Host of the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

December 29, 2024

The Illini will face their final; critter of the season on Sunday when the Chicago State Cougars come to town for an afternoon tilt. The Cougars come in 0-14, while the Illini sit 8-4 as the ready for a daunting Big Ten schedule. 

Here are the particulars. 

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Ked's Recruiting Roundup: Illinois Men's Basketball Hosting Jonas Boulefaa During Chicago State Contest

Ked's Recruiting Roundup: Illinois Men's Basketball Hosting Jonas Boulefaa During Chicago State Contest

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

December 28, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Crosnier Julien/KMSP)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois men’s basketball program will have a rare opportunity to host a potential recruit during Sunday afternoon’s game.

Illinois will welcome Jonas Boulefaa, a 6-foot-9 power forward who currently plays for Pôle France, as the Illini take on Chicago State at 1:00 p.m. CT at the State Farm Center.

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Illini Women Hold Off Oregon To Extend Home Win Streak, 64-59

Illini Women Hold Off Oregon To Extend Home Win Streak, 64-59

By IlliniGuys Staff December 28, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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Illini Women's Basketball - Year In Review

Illini Women's Basketball - Year In Review

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

December 28, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - With the first postseason tournament title and thus the first championship banner in program history to be raised to the rafters at State Farm Center, 2024 will go down as the greatest season in Illinois women's basketball history. Here are the top 10 moments in 2024 for head coach Shauna Green and her squad:

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Illini vs. Oregon Game Preview

Illini vs. Oregon Game Preview

Illinois vs. Oregon Date | Time Saturday, Dec. 28, 2024 | […]

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Smith: Illini, Underwood Ready For Greatest Test Yet

Smith: Illini, Underwood Ready For Greatest Test Yet

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

Illinois coach Brad Underwood has used a number of high-pressure tests to form his roster into what he hopes will be a Big Ten - and national - championship contender. (Photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

December 26, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Six years ago, the Illini men's basketball team woke up on Christmas morning to find little more than coal waiting for them under the stat tree.

Illinois went into the 2018 holiday season with a paltry 4-8 record after a double-digit loss to hated rival Missouri in the annual Braggin' Rights game. They had been swept in all three games at the Maui Invitational a month earlier, were already 0-2 in Big Ten, and in a few days would drop their final "money game" when they lost to lowly-regarded Florida Atlantic - and a first-year coach named Dusty May - in overtime at State Farm Center.

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Sturdy's Rewind: Illini Still Braggin'

Sturdy's Rewind: Illini Still Braggin'

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

December 24, 2024

The Illini are Braggin’ again, which means the turkey will taste much better on Christmas Day. As we look back at this game, and the other 10, certain things begin to stand out and we can see this team growing.

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Leadership of ‘Bam’ Boswell Brings Braggin’ Rights Trophy Home For Illini

Leadership of ‘Bam’ Boswell Brings Braggin’ Rights Trophy Home For Illini

Kylan Boswell grew up watching the Braggin’ Rights game as an Illini fan but his 36 efficient minutes led Illinois to a second straight win over Missouri.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 22, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When asked to describe his backcourt mate on this Illinois team, Kasparas Jakucionis needed just one word to accurately depict Kylan Boswell’s value. 

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Illini Hold On To Braggin' Rights With 80-77 Thriller over Missouri

Illini Hold On To Braggin' Rights With 80-77 Thriller over Missouri

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

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Sturdy's Braggin' Rights Preview - Illinois vs Missouri

Sturdy's Braggin' Rights Preview - Illinois vs Missouri

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Illini Insider and C0-Host IlliniGuys Sports […]

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Sturdy: Finding The Best Lineup

Sturdy: Finding The Best Lineup

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

December 20, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

Every time a team loses, and many times when they win, fans and spectators want to know why this guy is playing and this guy is not. It’s human nature. ‘If player X had played, we would have won.’ They could be right. They may be wrong, and the reality is that we will never know what the outcome of the hypothetical would have been, so you can’t be ‘wrong’.

The Illini basketball team has found themselves on the losing end of a couple of key games late and much has been made of the substitution patterns. With that in mind, let’s look at the most productive groups for the Illini on the season. The numbers are what they are, so let’s dive a little deeper.

There are two ends to the floor, and to be successful teams must be good on both ends. So, when looking at the performance it is important to compare how they fare on both offense and defense.

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Illini Cruise Into Holiday Break With 69-57 Win Over Southern University

Illini Cruise Into Holiday Break With 69-57 Win Over Southern University

Illinois get 20 points from sophomore guard Jasmine Brown-Hagger […]

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Smith: Shannon Will Get His Banner, But Deserves More

Smith: Shannon Will Get His Banner, But Deserves More

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

December 20, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

(Editor's Note - Larry is the co-founder of IlliniGuys.com. His journalism career spans nearly four decades and includes more than 60 major championships worldwide and thousands of shows on CNN, TNT, and NBA TV. He is a Murrow, Emmy, and Peabody Award winner who is entering his second season as host of the WNBA on Ion Friday night studio show.)

 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - It's almost 51 weeks to the day when Terrence Shannon Jr.'s life turned upside down.  The All-American candidate found himself in Lawrence, Kansas answering to a rape allegation while, hundreds of miles away, he was being temporarily removed from the Illinois basketball team. The latter being reversed three weeks later, but only after he won a temporary restraining order against the school he represented.

Shannon maintained his innocence and was later cleared of all charges in Kansas after the season ended and, on February 15th, another step of putting one of the most bizarre turn of events in Illinois athletic history further in the rear-view mirror will be taken when the university will raise his jersey to the rafters.

No one is more deserving.

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Ked's Recruiting Roundup: Freshman Guard Jhaliana Guy Shows Off Skills

Ked's Recruiting Roundup: Freshman Guard Jhaliana Guy Shows Off Skills

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

December 17, 2024

BETTENDORF, Iowa – The Quad Cities has added another nationally ranked prospect to Illinois' recruiting radar. Jhaliana Guy, a 5-foot-9 combo guard, has showcased an exceptional athletic ability that has drawn the attention of 25 college programs, including the Illini.

Guy, ranked in the top 10 nationally by ESPNW, displayed her talents Friday night when the Bettendorf Bulldogs faced the Assumption Knights. While she didn’t dominate the scoreboard on this night, she did finish with 11 points on 4-for-10 shooting. But here's why she's drawing so much interest:

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Jakucionis Earns Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors

Jakucionis Earns Co-Big Ten Freshman of the Week Honors

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) (Cover photo courtesy Joe […]

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