Basketball

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Uber-Illini Insider & Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

March 31, 2024

An Elite 8 run for Illinois didn’t end the way anyone wanted as Illinois fell to defending champion Connecticut 77-52 and saw a magical season come to an end in Boston. Marcus Domask had 17 points to lead Illinois but was the only Illini in double figures. Terrence Shannon had 8 in his final game, ending his long streak of double figure games, but UConn was just too good. 

Deep Thoughts

The strategy of attacking Clingan inside

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has accepted he must be on the phone with transfer portal prospects 24 hours before playing in a NCAA Tournament regional final. But that doesn’t mean he likes it.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 31, 2024

BOSTON — There was never a point on Friday afternoon that Illinois head coach Brad Underwood didn’t lose sight of the ridiculousness of what he was doing. 

At no point during the 77-52 loss on Saturday night in Elite Eight round was Illinois able to handle Connecticut 7-foot-2 center Donovan Clingan’s presence in the paint. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 30, 2024

BOSTON — Almost immediately into this NCAA Tournament East Regional Final, everybody on the Illinois bench had the Captain Ahab realization that dealing with Connecticut center Donovan Clingan was going to require a bigger boat. 

The defending national champions rode its 7-foot-2 mammoth frontcourt presence on both ends of the floor to a dominating 77-52 victory over the Illini in TD Garden in Boston. 

By IlliniGuys Staff March 30, 2024 BOSTON, Mass. - […]

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Co-Founder & Co-Host/Executive Producer, […]

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

March 30, 2024

Is it really David vs Goliath? UConn is very good, make no mistake, but the premise that Illinois is David seems a bit much. This Illinois team is 29-8 and is the best team that Connecticut has played in their two-year tourney run. The Illini are definitely using the pundits' views that they don’t have a chance against the Huskies as a motivating factor here. 

These Illini have accomplished a lot, no doubt, but as Marcus Domask told us on the Sports Spectacular this week, “We’re enjoying it, but we’re not ready to be done yet.”

Everybody in the Illinois locker room inside TD Garden in Boston knows what comes with being an 8-point underdog in the East Regional Final matchup against Connecticut. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 30, 2024

BOSTON — The psychology involved in the East Regional Final matchup for Illinois is defined by a zero-sum game of its opponent’s legacy. 

Connecticut’s postseason run over these two seasons has resulted in two possibilities: First, they’ll win three more games and become the first program to repeat as national champions since Florida in 2006-07 in as dominant a fashion as the college basketball world has seen since Duke won consecutive titles in 1991-92. Or second, the team that figures out a way to knock off UConn (34-3), the No. 1 overall seed who haven’t won a NCAA Tournament by less than 13 points, will have stake its claim as pulling off the most difficult task in this event in several years.

23-year-old All-American guard Terrence Shannon will likely get his most difficult test when he faces Connecticut freshman guard Stephon Castle. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 29, 2024

BOSTON — The question revolving around this NCAA Tournament has been a quest to see if any player can contain the offensive magic and postseason momentum of Terrence Shannon. 

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

March 29, 2024

Brad Underwood often uses the term ‘elite', when describing players or teams or even attitudes. Now, Illinois is officially ‘elite’ as Illinois advanced to the Elite 8 with a 72-60 win over the Iowa State Cyclones. Terrence Shannon continues his onslaught on the Illinois record books with 29 points and the Illini used a staunch defense to get the win in the Sweet Sixteen and advance to the Elite 8 for the first time in 19 years. Like all coaches, Brad Underwood couldn’t win in March, until he won in March. Illinois never trailed and the game was never tied after it was 0-0. 

Now they are David against Goliath, as they are set to take on the defending champion UConn Huskies on Saturday night at 5:09 PM CST on TBS. But as Brad Underwood said post-game, “We didn’t come (to Boston) to win one game, we came to win two.” 

Opportunity awaits, but let's enjoy this win first. 

These 3 Things (and 2 Bonus Things)

An inside look at the second half stretch of five minutes and 39 seconds where Illinois never lost its composure or the lead when Terrence Shannon Jr. was on the bench with four fouls. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 29, 2024

BOSTON —Five minutes and 39 seconds. 

The sporting world at any level doesn’t allow for many certainties. However, a safe assumption might be that Illinois head coach Brad Underwood couldn’t have ever wanted arguably the NCAA Tournament’s most dominant guard sitting on the bench next to him in the second half of a regional semifinal for five minutes and 39 seconds.

By IlliniGuys Staff March 29, 2024 BOSTON, Mass. - […]

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) March 28, 2024 TULSA, […]

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

March 28, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

(Editor's Note: IlliniGuys co-founder Larry Smith reported from a dozen Final Fours and has covered more than 30 NCAA championships during his decades-long career with CNN Sports and Turner Sports)

2005 seems like an eternity ago.

The Cubs hadn’t won a World Series in almost a century.

Martha Stewart was in prison.

Louisville was in the Final Four representing not the ACC, not the Big East, but Conference USA.

And the Illinois basketball team traveled to games with Beatles-like security.

There was no team bigger than the undefeated, #1-ranked Orange and Blue.  Their game highlights led ESPN’s “Sportscenter” every night (this is back when ESPN showed Big Ten highlights). Head coach Bruce Weber had to get a burner cell phone and a uber-private number that he gave only to his closest confidants and people he trusted.  Dee Brown, one of three All-Americans on the team, was a Sports Illustrated cover boy.

For two months, there was no bigger brand than Illinois basketball at a time when all NCAA tournament games were solely on CBS.

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

March 28, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

It’s rare when we actually get to see the top offense and the top defense go head to head in a March matchup, but we have that on Thursday night when #3 Illinois and their high powered offense take on #2 Iowa State and their elite defense. Something’s gotta give. 

Setting the Stage

2024 NCAA Tournament // Regional Semifinal // East Region 

3 Illinois (28-8, 14-6 Big Ten) vs. 2 Iowa State (29-7 Overall, 13-7 Big 12) 

Thursday, March 28, 2024 // 9:09 p.m. CT (10:09 p.m. ET) // Boston, Mass. // TD Garden 

TV: TBS/TruTV – Kevin Harlan (Play-By-Play), Dan Bonner & Stan Van Gundy, Andy Katz Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas National Radio: Westwood One – Scott Graham (Play-By-Play), Jordan Cornette (Analyst) Satellite Radio: SiriusXM – 209 or 202

Notable

*Following victories over Morehead State (85-69) in Round 1 and Duquesne (89-63) in Round 2 last week in Omaha, Neb., Illinois advances to the NCAA Tournament Regional Semifinal at TD Garden in Boston. The third-seeded Fighting Illini will face second-seeded Iowa State on Thursday (9:09 p.m. CT, TBS/TruTV).
*Illinois is making its 34th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and its fourth straight.
*Illinois is playing in the Sweet 16 for first time since its 2005 NCAA Championship game appearance. Overall, this marks Illinois’ 12th all-time appearance in the Sweet 16, and the ninth time that the Fighting Illini have reached this stage since the tournament field expanded to 32 teams in 1975.
*Illinois ranks fifth among Big Ten teams and 19th among all schools for most NCAA Tournament appearances. Illinois is one of only three Big Ten teams – and one of just 14 teams nationally – to earn a bid in each of the last four NCAA Tournaments. Illinois’ active streak of four straight NCAA Tournament appearances is its longest since participating eight years in a row from 2000 through 2007.
*Illinois has compiled a 44-34 (.564) record all-time in NCAA Tournament games
*The Cyclones ran their winning streak to five over the weekend, picking up wins over No. 15 seed South Dakota State (82-65) and No. 7 seed Washington State (67-56) to advance to the seventh Sweet 16 in program history. Iowa State cruised to the Big 12 Championship, winning all three games by an average of 20.3 points. Those wins included two over top 15 teams. Keshon Gilbert was named the Big 12 Championship Most Outstanding Player, while Tamin Lipsey and Milan Momcilovic were named to the AllChampionship Team.
*Only five players in the country are averaging at least 12.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game this season. Two of them reside in the Cyclone backcourt in Tamin Lipsey and Keshon Gilbert, with ISU being the only school in the nation with multiple players hitting those marks.
*Iowa State is 31-1 under T.J. Otzelberger when four or more players score in double figures. 

Keys to the Game

Ball Security -

Hours ahead of him leading Illinois into its first Sweet 16 game in 19 years, several Illini teammates of Terrence Shannon Jr. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 28, 2024

BOSTON — Ty Rodgers still vividly remembers the first time he saw Terrence Shannon Jr. on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign nearly two years ago. 

Just a few months after announcing his verbal pledge out of the transfer portal from Texas Tech in the summer of 2022, Shannon Jr. arrived at his next and final college looking for some pickup basketball games at the student rec center.