Basketball

By IlliniGuys Staff November 1, 2024 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – […]

Ked's Recruiting Roundup

November 1, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois women’s basketball program has been riding a wave of positive momentum. With recruiting success reaching new heights and head coach Shauna Green recently signing a contract extension, the team is building excitement ahead of the upcoming season.

Hours before the Illini took the court for the first time this season in an exhibition game vs. Lewis University, more good news emerged on the recruiting front as Manuella Alves-Fernandez announced her commitment. The 6-foot-3, four-star recruit from Kissimmee, Florida (IMG Academy) is ranked #61 in the nation by ESPNW.

llinois guard Makira Cook suffered a concussion in the exhibition opener of the 2023-24 season and forced her into a very frustrating start for the All-American player.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 1, 2024

Three Keys For Illini Exhibition Game vs. Lewis University (6pm, BTN+)
1. Player Rotation: Despite the season-ending injury to transfer center Lety Vasconcelos, Illinois head coach Shauna Green still has a possible rotation of 10 players that she’s attempted to sort out before the challenging season opener against No. 19 Florida State inside State Farm Center on Nov. 7. A matchup against a Division II conference champion, which is also predicted in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason poll to repeat as league champions in 2025, will allow Green to see certain chemistry with lineup combinations against an opponent that doesn’t know exactly their halfcourt sets and what they’re trying to do defensively in certain matchups.

“I think we got some good indications while we were in Italy and Greece at different lineups but yeah, Friday will be a good time to test some of that out,” Green said Wednesday. “We have more depth at the guard spots and I’m not used to taking Makira or Genesis off the floor and feel good about who is out there.”

2. College Debut (sort of…) For Berry Wallace:

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

November 1, 2024

Each year I like to look at the Big Ten and make a preseason prediction and determine the ‘best’ teams. This used to be directly correlated to the standings, but with the unbalanced schedules and 18 team conference, it seems like that is nearly impossible to predict. This year, we are going to break them into tiers and look at which teams appear to be the best on paper.

Perhaps the craziest part about this conference is the depth. They will have what looks like 18 top 100 teams on KenPom. The SEC has more top end teams, as does the Big 12 and Big East, but nobody in the Big Ten gets to play DePaul, Vanderbilt or Cal.

Today we look at the teams at the top of the Big Ten in 2024-25:

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

October 31, 2024

Champaign, Ill.— It's the news that Illinois basketball has been waiting months to hear:

Tomislav Ivisic is cleared to play!

The 7-foot-1 center from Croatia made the announcement via social media Thursday evening. Ivisic expressed his confidence in a previous statement, saying, “I’m very confident I will get to play. Illinois did everything right. I just want to be with my guys when the season starts.” Now that opportunity has been granted.

Unlike Tomislav, his twin brother Zvonimir faced significant delays in his eligibility process while at Kentucky last season. Zvonimir was only cleared to play in mid-January, missing a large portion of the season. Aware of potential challenges, Illinois began Ivisic’s eligibility process in early May, a proactive approach that ultimately paid off.

Tomislav Ivisic, the Illinois center signee from Croatia, has […]

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

October 28, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini fell to Ole Miss on Sunday in a charity exhibition 92-74 as the Rebels changed their name to ‘Can’t Miss’ and made it rain from 3 point range. The Rebels also stifled the Illini early on with their physical defense and getting ito passing lanes and making it difficult for them. 

Here are our takeaways from this one. 

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

October 27, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Oxford, MS — One of the most iconic westerns of all time, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966), starred Clint Eastwood and Lee Van Cleef. Today, the Illinois men’s basketball team found itself in a fitting comparison as it traveled to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on the 24th-ranked Ole Miss Rebels in an exhibition game.

After Illinois’ impressive March run and a revamped roster, fans were excited to see the ten new players on the 2024-25 roster. However, the Illini faced a veteran Ole Miss team — the second-oldest in Division I basketball. Today’s game showed the importance of experience, as the Rebels beat Illinois 91-74 in front of 7,023 fans at the Pavilion.

By IlliniGuys Staff October 27, 2024 OXFORD, Miss. - […]

Brad Sturdy, Illini Insider & IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio Host

October 27, 2024

No, that isn’t a typo, the Illini are set to face an old and physical Mississippi basketball squad on Sunday in a game that Brad Underwood loves. Under Chris Beard the Rebels will be physical and he has added an older and more talented squad, leading to their first ever preseason ranking in the coaches poll.

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

October 26, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois guard Kylan Boswell grew up in Urbana-Champaign until his eighth-grade year before moving to California for high school. He ended his prep career at AZ Compass Prep in Phoenix, where he averaged 14 points per game as a junior. In the summer of 2022, Boswell reclassified to join the Arizona Wildcats, beginning with the 2022-23 season.

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

October 24, 2024

The fall is always a time when the hype train is ratcheted up for college basketball teams, but this year it is on steroids for the Fighting Illini. Despite the fact that the Illini are unranked, it only takes one look at a practice session to see that this team has the tools to be very good. 

Thus the hype train. 

Is the hype real? Let’s look at the hype we have heard and break it down. 

1. Kasparas Jakucionis is a lottery pick.

From Illinois Sports Information Office October 24, 2024   […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

October 24, 2024

Champaign, IL – Illinois assistant men's basketball coach Geoff Alexander has been instrumental in scouting overseas talent for the program. However, he may have also found one of the most prolific scorers on the Illinois roster domestically.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 23, 2024

Over the years, I've developed solid relationships with a few NBA scouts. One of them attended an Illinois practice for the first time Saturday morning and understood what the buzz is all about.

He said scouts are texting each other, saying "You have to see an Illinois practice."