Basketball

By IlliniGuys Staff January 1, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

Illinois vs. No. 7 Maryland Date/Time: January 1, 2026/3pm […]

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 31, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After clinching her 250th career win as a coach, becoming the winningest coach in program history, leading the team to its first win at Purdue in five years, and pushing them to the best 13-game start in program history, Illinois women’s basketball head coach Shauna Green is laser-focused on the task at hand.

That’s a whole lot of different, but when asked about what exactly changed from last year to this year, Green pointed to losing something that many might consider a strength: veterans. After steering the ship with a crew of veterans for the last four years, Green says that an all-new team has been behind the hot start to the 2025-26 season.

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

December 30, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

The Illinois basketball team did what they needed to do on Monday against an overmatched Southern Squad. In a 90 to 55 win the Illinois had a balanced attack led by five three pointers from Jake Davis and a double-double from Keaton Wagler, but this game was more about getting prepared for the Big Ten season and the NCAA’s down the road.

Here’s a quick notebook:

-Illinois is now shooting 41% from behind three-point arc over their past five games. Since the debacle in Madison Square Garden against UConn when they couldn't hit the broad side of a barn, the Illini have continued to climb up the three-point shooting ranks.

By IlliniGuys Staff December 29, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

December 29, 2025

After a week off for Christmas break, the Illini are back in action at the State Farm Center against Southern University. This is the last tune up for the Illini head into their final 18 Big Ten contests over the months of January, February and March. Coming off of a dominating win over Missouri, everything is right in Illini land. Now they have an opportunity to show that they can handle success and bottle that offense and defense against the inferior opponent twice in a row

Here's a look at the particulars..

Setting the Stage
#20/19 Illinois (9-3) vs. Southern (4-8)
Monday, Dec. 29, 2025 // 2 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill // State Farm Center
TV: BTN – Noah Reed (Play-by-Play) & Jordan Taylor (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Scott Beatty (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas (Analyst)

Notable
*Southern is picked to finish 2nd in the SWAC after winning the regular season conference title a year ago.

*Following a week-long holiday break, No. 20 Illinois returns to action for a Monday matinee vs. Southern at State Farm Center (2 p.m. CT / BTN). The matchup between the Illini and the Jaguars closes out Illinois' nonconference slate and the 2025 calendar year.

*The Illini are coming off a dominant 91-48 victory over rival Mizzou to push their Braggin' Rights winning streak to three years in a row. The 43-point win marked the largest margin in the history of the Illinois-Missouri series.

By Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

December 29, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — From an Illinois basketball standpoint, the Peoria Pipeline is alive and well again. Longtime followers of the Illini understand the importance of central Illinois, a region that has consistently produced players capable of leaving a big mark on the program.

On Thanksgiving Day, Quinton Kitt committed to Illinois, giving Illini Nation a moment to savor heading into the 2025 calendar year. Kitt, a 2027 commit, is a 6-foot-6, 205-pound forward from East Peoria.

Kitt recently checked in with IlliniGuys

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer December 28, […]

Illinois (11-1, 1-0) at Purdue (8-4, 0-1) Sunday, Dec. […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

December 26, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois 2026 basketball commit Ethan Brown of Rolla High School (Rolla, Mo.) was among the spectators for the 2025 Braggin’ Rights game in Missouri, watching a dominant performance by his future team.

The 6-foot-4, 180-pound wing attended the annual rivalry matchup. On Christmas Eve Brown told IlliniGuys he enjoyed watching Illinois dominate Missouri 91-48 in front of a crowd of 18,505 fans.

“I thought the Braggin’ Rights game was great. We played well and got after them defensively.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

December 24, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy mtvuutiset)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — IlliniGuys Insider and Analyst and co-host of the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular, Brad Sturdy, dropped a major nugget this week on the I on the Illini Podcast, shedding light on movement surrounding one of the nation’s top men’s basketball recruits.

At IlliniGuys, there are no days off. Even on Christmas Eve, sources confirmed Illinois is actively working the phones, and one name continues to surface: Miikka Muurinen. The 6-foot-10, 205-pound do-it-all wing is viewed as a legitimate threat from anywhere on the floor and continues to draw national attention.

Illinois is battling a loaded field that includes

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

December 23, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Normally, when you go to the Braggin’ Rights game, you're looking for a competitive game; a rivalry game, a game in which both teams give everything they have and leave it all on the floor, and the results can sometimes be astonishing. Although the results were astonishing on Monday night it was not a competitive game in any sense of the word as the Illini cruised to a dominating 91-48 win in the biggest blowout in Braggin' Rights history.

It was the third consecutive win in the series for the Illini as they bolstered their case to be a top 10 team. For Missouri it was a devastating loss after playing a soft non-conference schedule and having essentially zero quality wins at this point.

Here's a recap of what we saw.

These 3 Things

Wagler Shines

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 23, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

ST. LOUIS — In an annual rivalry series game that has been known to produce beyond mystifying results, the 2025 version of the Braggin’ Rights contest elected to buck that trend by going about as planned.

Illinois, which came to Enterprise Center in St. Louis as a nearly double-digit favorite, led for all but 13 seconds in a 91-48 win. The only bizarre scenario was Illinois walked out with the largest blowout win in the series history with arguably its most dominating defensive performance.

“Tonight, we made shots and we played good, plain and simple,” Illinois head coach Brad Underwood said. “It was nine days of practice to get back to the essence of who we are the defensive end, our daily vitamins.”

By IlliniGuys Staff December 22, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

December 22, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Illinois and Missouri fans will descend on St Louis on Monday as the Illini and the Tigers are back at it in the McBride Homes Braggin’ Rights game. A game that probably doesn't get enough notoriety nationally for the intense rivalry between the two fan bases that surround St Louis, this will be another epic battle between two teams that can really score the ball.

Missouri enters with a record of 10-2 although they have played a very soft schedule outside of Kansas, a game they lost 80 to 60. Illinois has played a gauntlet of a schedule including five top 25 opponents and sits at 2-3 against that group. This begins the gauntlet for Missouri as they will play Florida and Kentucky after this.

This is a much-needed game for both squads. Let's take a look at the particulars

Setting the Stage
McBride Homes Braggin' Rights
#18 Illinois (8-3) vs. Missouri (10-2)
Monday, Dec. 22, 2025 // 7 p.m. CT // St. Louis, Mo. // Enterprise Center
TV: FS1 – Brandon Gaudin (Play-by-Play) & Casey Jacobsen (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

Notable
*The 45th edition of the McBride Homes Braggin’ Rights game between Illinois and Missouri is set for Monday night at Enterprise Center in St. Louis (7 p.m. CT / FS1). The Illini are looking to win three consecutive Braggin’ Rights games for the first time since a stretch of five straight wins over Mizzou from 2013-17. Illinois leads the all time series 28-16.

* The Fighting Illini offense features five players averaging double figures in scoring – Kylan Boswell (16.1 ppg), Andrej Stojakovic (15.5), Keaton Wagler (15.1), David Mirkovic (13.6), and Tomislav Ivisic (10.0) – tied for the second-most in the nation.

*After leading the Big Ten in scoring last season (83.6 ppg), Illinois is currently averaging 87.8 points. At this early pace, the Illini would become the third team in program history to average 87+ points per game.