Basketball

Despite having one of the youngest power conference rosters, Illinois’ defensive numbers through 11 games of the 2025-26 season are better than previous seasons.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 15, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Any basketball coach will likely youth doesn’t usually equate to instant success, yet Shauna Green’s Illinois team is doing everything they can to reverse that trend.

The Illini’s 81-69 win over North Texas represented the 11th straight game that Illinois has held an opponent under 70 points in a game and the current streak is 13 in a row that includes the two 2025 NCAA Tournament games from last March.

Knowing her emphasis on the defensive end of the floor and her reputation for taking defense seriously going back to her head coaching start nearly a decade ago at Dayton, Green doesn’t want to be surprised as her 2025-26 Illini squad has been about consistent defensive stops. However, given she’s in charge of by far her youngest team, with an average age of 19.83 years as of the start of the 2025-26 campaign and

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

December 14, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini fell to Nebraska on Saturday 83-80 on a last second 3 pointer by Jamarques Lawrence. The Illini had trailed by as many as 13 points, and 10 points in the second half, but battled back to tie it in the final minutes before Lawrence's heroics. Kylan Boswell scored 20 points, while Keaton Wagler had 19 points and 10 assists and Andrej Stojakovic had 19 points and 10 rebounds to lead the way as Illinois fell to 8-3 and 1-1 in Big Ten play. Nebraska moved to 2-0 in conference play and a school record 11-0 overall.

Here’s a rewind.

These 3 Things

Defensive Lapses Continue -

Illinois women’s basketball head coach Shauna Green earns her […]

(From Illinois Sports Information Office)   Illinois vs. North […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 12, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Brent Zinkmann/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois head coach Brad Underwood tried to set expectations months ago. At media day in October, he spoke confidently about freshman guard Keaton Wagler, even comparing him to former Illinois All-American Ayo Dosunmu. When he added that Wagler might be a one-and-done player, many on social media thought the praise was too aggressive for someone rated as the nation’s No. 67 shooting guard and the No. 2 overall player in Kansas, according to On3.

How could a three-star prospect become the center of such bold comparisons?

No. 13 Illinois loses for just the second time […]

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

December 13, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

When the schedule came out this looked like just another game. Now, the Illini & Huskers are both ranked. The Illini are 1-0 in the Big 10 after a road win at Ohio State and Nebraska dismantled Wisconsin this week in Lincoln. These are two teams that can really score and should be a fun one on a snowy Saturday afternoon in Champaign.

Setting the Stage
#13 Illinois (8-2, 1-0) vs. #23 Nebraska (10-0, 1-0)
Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025 // 3 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center Stream:
Peacock – Paul Burmeister (Play-by-Play) & Brendan Haywood (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Trent Meacham

Notable
* No. 13 Illinois closes out the early-December window of Big Ten play on Saturday afternoon, welcoming No. 23 Nebraska to State Farm Center for the Illini's first home game in nearly three weeks. The matchup pits the 8-2 Illini against the undefeated Cornhuskers (10-0). • Illinois is aiming for a 2-0 start to Big Ten play for the third time of head coach Brad Underwood's nine-year tenure, joining the 2022 and 2024 seasons.

*Illinois is 6-0 at State Farm Center on the season, having won each home game with an average scoring margin of +30.0. The Illini have won eight straight home games overall dating back to last season.

*Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 29 wins over top-25 opponents since 2019-20, with 20 of those wins coming in ranked-vs.-ranked matchups. Illinois' 29 top-25 victories are tied for ninth-most in the NCAA during that span. This season the Illini have ranked wins over No. 11 Texas Tech at home, and vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville.

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood still isn’t optimistic the physical progress Ty Rodgers has made since suffering a major knee injury could result in his return to games this season.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 13, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There is clearly a good news, bad news correlation when evaluating a potential return to the Illinois lineup for Ty Rodgers.

The encouraging news for the folks who work inside the Ubben Basketball Complex is Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said he had a discussion Thursday with staff members and medical officials about what a 2025-26 season return for Rodgers would look like. The disheartening news is Underwood didn’t portray getting an optimistic viewpoint in that discussion.

In his local media session Friday, Underwood declined to put a timeline on when the fourth-year wing could or even would get medically cleared to return with the No. 13 Illinois having just 21 regular season games left in the 2025-26 slate.

“He's getting closer to being able to gain enough strength in the leg.

Illinois head coach third-year wing Gretchen Dolan has been […]

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

December 10, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Last season, ESPN in-game and studio announcers said "Cooper Flagg" so often that you wouldn't blame someone if they thought the phenomenal Duke freshman's last name was "Cooperflagg". As if his stellar play wasn't enough, the Worldwide Leader - as it often does with Duke freshmen - played a big role in making him a household name. Remember Zion Williamson?

They're doing it again with this year's crop of ballyhooed high school recruits now playing at the next level. Saturday night, ESPN game analyst Jimmy Dykes crowed out "Cam Boozer" twice in the waning moments of the broadcast. Problem is...it was Illinois against Tennessee. Boozer's Duke team wasn't even playing in front of Dykes.

As we are just a third of the way into this college basketball season, prepare to hear Boozer's name evoked often. And BYU's AJ Dybantsa. And UNC's precocious star Caleb Wilson. And Arizona's Koa Peat. All for good reason; those four are among an elite group of seven college freshmen who are averaging at least 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists per game.

What you won't hear on ESPN?  Two of them play for Illinois, the only college basketball program with two superstar rookies.

Illinois holds Missouri under 70 points and sees star […]

At Villanova, Maddie Webber was a scoring machine and […]

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

December 10, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini opened the Big Ten season with a 88-80 win over a feisty Ohio State Buckeyes team that came in seven and one. Freshmen Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic scored 23 and 22 points, and Andrej Stojakovic added 17 as the Illini moved to 8-2 and 1-0 in Big Ten play.

The first half was a free-flowing offensive showcase, and the second half morphed into a foul fest that featured 48 fouls. This was the type of win that a year ago you wonder if the Illini would have been able to pull this out, but their depth and toughness showed through and they were able to pull out the road win in their first true road game of the season.

Here's a rewind:

These 3 Things

Freshmen Lead the Way - The play of Keaton Wagler and David Mirkovic was incredible in their first Big Ten road game Tuesday night.

By IlliniGuys Staff December 9, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

December 9, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy FIBA)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois men’s basketball program is rolling into December with momentum after a big 75-62 win over Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

That surge off the court is matching what’s happening on it. Rumblings continue to circulate around Lithuanian standout Dovydas Buika, a 6-foot-6, 190-pound combo guard whose wing scoring ability has made him one of the most intriguing international prospects in the 2026 class. According to Rivals.com and On3, Buika is rated a four-star recruit, and his recruitment appears to be tightening into a two-team contest between Illinois and Arizona.