Basketball

Illinois won four-day stroke portion of NCAA Championships by 16 shots and will play No. 8 seed Georgia Tech in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday afternoon. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 27, 2024

Don’t make the mistake of asking Illinois men’s golf head coach Mike Small if he’s surprised his players produced one of the more dominant four-round stroke play performances in the NCAA Championships. In the view of the Illini’s 24-year head coach, the last four days were the excellent execution of a long-term plan.

After winning the Big Ten Conference regular season by two games, Illinois must patiently be viewers of the NCAA selection show today to learn their postseason fate. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 27, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — The University of Illinois baseball team is currently scheduled to have a 2 p.m. practice on its home field and in a few hours Dan Hartleb’s club will soon learn if that workout is necessary or not. 

An underdog Illini squad uses an extraordinary Sunday round to announce its itself as NCAA Championship favorite with one day remaining until the match play knockout stage. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 26, 2024

Days before the 2024 NCAA Championships began, Illinois was playing an uniquely different underdog card but that distinction ended abruptly Sunday after they concluded their third round of stroke play. 

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 26, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — As the Illinois men’s basketball roster continues to take shape, some new players have already made their way onto campus, offering a glimpse of the potential for the upcoming season.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 25, 2024

Max Herendeen now has an answer to how his game will be affected by being a tournament winner in the previous week. And the 19-year-old, along with everybody else close to the Illinois men’s golf program, should like the response. 

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 25, 2023

One of the worst-kept secrets in Illinois basketball recruiting in recent months is the potential addition of Kasparas Jakucionis, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard.

Illinois graduate transfer Tyler Goecke has gone from out of the lineup in Big Ten Championships to posting the Illini’s best score in the first day of the 2024 NCAA Championships on Friday.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 24, 2024

Nearly a month ago, Illinois head coach Mike Small looked at Tyler Goecke and knew his fifth-year senior graduate transfer simply needed a break.

Penn State holds Illinois to just one extra-base hit as Illini fall 8-4 and will try to avoid a fourth straight 0-2 mark in the Big Ten Tournament in a Thursday morning elimination game. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 22, 2024

The losing drought for Illinois at Charles Schwab Field in the Big Ten Baseball Tournament has continued on. 

Illinois, which arrived in Omaha, Neb. this week as the league’s regular season champion and No. 1 seed in the tournament, couldn’t rely on the power of their offense in a much bigger ballpark Wednesday afternoon in a 8-4 loss to Penn State. 

Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 22, 2024

The Illinois women's basketball staff has been recruiting Charlotte, North Carolina, guard Kamryn Kitchen since they arrived on campus.

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 21, 2023

Tenin Magassa, a 6-foot-5 post player from Rhode Island, originally from Dayton, committed to play for Illinois head coach Shauna Green on April 28.

News-Gazette beat writer Joe Vozzelli Jr. broke the news on X that Magassa de-committed from Illinois and now plans to play for Oklahoma State.

Brad Sturdy, Illini Insider and Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio shows

May 20, 2024

Incredibly busy week! 30 thoughts coming your way:

We start off this week with the Illini baseball team being Big Ten champs. After a slow start the Illini have been tremendous in Big ten play, sweeping Purdue to finish it off. They bring the lumber, especially once teams are deeper into their bullpens and using #3 starters. 
The baseball team opens the Big Ten tourney on Tuesday against Penn State in Omaha as the top seed. The Illini look like an NCAA lock. 
I’ve always wondered why they play a double elimination baseball tournament, one with longer games and pitch counts, while playing single elimination in softball.  
While the baseball team was winning, I was graduating and getting married. Not me, but my kids. My middle daughter Ashlyn graduated from Illinois with high honors. My youngest, Kamryn graduated from high school and was the valedictorian. 3 for 3 in valedictorians. Proud dad. And her speech was as good as I have heard. Biased, I know. Also attended the wedding of a former long time player Saturday night. Man, they grow up fast!!
Have large graduations and weddings jumped the shark? At the Illinois graduation, where Coleman Hawkins and Makira Cook were among the attendees, students and their families sat for 2+ hours to hear their names read, sometimes incorrectly, by a person they may have never met.
On the other side,

Illinois Athletics May 19, 2024 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Big […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

May 19, 2024

This weekend marked the third session of the Nike EYBL basketball period, with Illinois head basketball coach Brad Underwood and associate to the head coach Orlando Antigua courtside to watch Jeremiah Fears, a 6-foot-2, top-15 point guard.

Illinois won the 2024 Big Ten Conference regular season championship outright by two games after a dominating win at Purdue to complete a road sweep in West Lafayette. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 18, 2024

It’s quite something for this Illinois lineup to accomplish a new offensive feat this season under head coach Dan Hartleb but that’s exactly what transpired in the finale of a weekend series sweep at Purdue.

Illinois got three home runs and a seven-run explosion in the seventh inning for a 9-4 victory that guaranteed them a share of the 2024 Big Ten Conference regular season championship.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 17, 2024

For the first time in nine years, the University of Illinois baseball program are Big Ten Conference regular season champions.