Basketball

Days before his Illini program looks to end a 19-year drought of not reaching a NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood says that is not the postseason goal.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 18, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

MINNEAPOLIS — It’s not as if Illinois head coach Brad Underwood needs to be reminded his program hasn’t won two straight NCAA Tournament games in nearly two decades. 

No, the reminder might actually be from the seventh-year head coach himself to the public that a Sweet 16 appearance is not the goal of the Illini program - not as long as Underwood is in charge. 

“It’s not about checking a box. I came here to win a national championship,” Underwood said Sunday after winning the 2024 Big Ten Tournament and minutes learning his upcoming NCAA Tournament draw. 

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

March 18, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Illinois got 34 points from Terrence Shannon and 26 points from Marcus Domask as they held off Wisconsin 93-87 to win the Big Ten Championship. The Illini head into NCAA tournament play at 26-8, the most wins since the Dee Brown era in 2005-06. 

Wisconsin did not make it easy, however. A seesaw affair heading into halftime saw the Illini lead it 41-40 before the Badgers made their first 7 shots on the second half to take a 10 point lead at 61-51. With Wisconsin's lead growing to double digits with 14-and-a-half minutes to play, Illinois used a 10-2 run in a two-minute span to cut its deficit down to two. Guerrier made his second 3-pointer of the day during that stretch, while Dain Dainja made an and-1 layup to close out the momentum-shifting run.

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Illinois […]

Illinois senior forward Coleman Hawkins able to reflect winning the Big Ten Tournament title in his first and fourth year with the Illini program.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 17, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

MINNEAPOLIS — In what is normally saved for a Southeastern Conference cliche line, Coleman Hawkins had a simple four-word description for being able to bookend the first and possibly final year of college basketball with a league tournament title.

“It just means more,” Hawkins said. “It means more when you stick around and do something for four years and you're familiar with everybody on the staff and all the changes that have happened. You've seen so many changes, it just means more. So I'm super proud of everybody.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5UTe0luFo4    

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPUHc-kSdbw

Illinois gets a 3-seed in 2024 NCAA Tournament minutes […]

By IlliniGuys Staff March 17, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

After a 31-point outing inside the Kohl Center in his home state earlier this month, Illinois guard Marcus Domask’s roadblock to a Big Ten Tournament title is the Wisconsin Badgers. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 17, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

MINNEAPOLIS — Marcus Domask will get one more shot today at the home state school he grew up rooting for. 

In the 2024 Big Ten Tournament championship game at Target Center, the large Domask clan of family and friends from Waupun, Wis., will get to wear orange and blue and cheer against Badgers Nation for likely the final time as No. 13 Illinois tips against Wisconsin at 2:30 p.m. CST. 

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

March 17, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

It’s Championship Sunday before we get to the Selection Sunday show tonight as the Illini take on Wisconsin at 2:30PM on CBS in front of a national audience. Illinois is looking for their 3rd Big Ten Championship in the past 4 years against a Wisconsin team that has won 3 games in 3 days and took care of Purdue on Saturday. It should be a good one. 

The Illini beat Wisconsin in Madison just two weeks ago 91-83 in a game that saw Marcus Domask go for 31 points, 8 rebounds and 3 assists in his homecoming. He gets one more shot to take down the Badgers.

Setting the Stage

Big Ten Championship 

#5 Wisconsin (22-12)  v #2 Illinois (25-8)

Sunday, March 17 | 2:30 PM (CT) | 

CBS | Minneapolis, Minn. | Target Center (18,798)

Notable

*Averaging 77.7 points per game in the Big Ten Tournament, Wisconsin has scored 70+ in 9 straight games and in 26 total games this season.

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

March 17, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

The Illini bounced Nebraska with a big second half on Saturday in the Big Ten Tournament behind a 40 point Big Ten record performance from Terrence Shannon as they moved into the championship game against Wisconsin on Sunday afternoon. 

Shannon was the story, his 40 points the most in his career, but Illinois turned it up a notch defensively after halftime, turning a 55-40 deficit into a dominating win. Marcus Domask accepted the role as playmaker with 16 points, 8 assists and 7 rebounds, while Quincy Guerrier (13) and Luke Goode (12) stepped up to help the offense. The relentless motor of Ty Rodgers brought down 13 rebounds as he began to look like a sane version of Dennis Rodman. 

This Illini team played as well as they could in the 2nd half and just took away Nebraska's will. 

These 3 Things

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.