Basketball

Illinois was down by as much as 33 points in the fourth quarter of its 87-70 defeat at Michigan State and must now win two in a row to guarantee a .500 overall record.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 1, 2024

A poor start and an even worse second quarter for the Illinois women’s basketball program resulted in a blowout loss at Michigan State on Thursday night forcing a desperate situation to qualify for postseason play. 

Despite having a KenPom.com defensive efficiency rating of No. 94, Illinois is still near the top of a Big Ten Conference that has more offensive weapons than previous seasons.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 29, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — Despite Brad Underwood knowing his team was likely to win, a perfectly completed action resulting in a three-point shot by Mike Mitchell Jr. resulted in the Illinois seventh year head coach screaming at the top of his lungs and slamming his right fist on the scorer's table next to his bench. 

During the post-game radio interview following the victory over Minnesota on Wednesday night, Illinois color commentator Deon Thomas attempted to explain the 97 points allowed by the Illini by complimenting the home team's defensive overall efficiency. 

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

February 29, 2024

(Cover photo Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

What we saw on Wednesday night was a legendary offensive performance from a pair of teams that just didn’t miss. The Illini won it 105-97 against Minnesota behind what was the best offensive performance in a Big Ten game for Illinois in at least 25 years. But on the other end, the defense was an issue. Minnesota shot 60% overall and 70% from 3, becoming the first high major team to lose while doing that in over 15 years, and perhaps longer. 

Terrence Shannon had 29 points and 6 rebounds while Marcus Domask had 22 points 7 rebounds and 5 assists and Coleman Hawkins had 20 points to lead Illinois to a 21-7 mark and a 12-5 record in Big Ten play. Minnesota got 29 from Dawson Garcia and 23 from Cam Christie as they fell to 17-11 and 8-9 in the B1G. 

These 3 Things

The Defense was Bad, but…..

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

February 29, 2024

Champaign, IL - Illinois played host to 2026 prospect, Andrew Jensen, a 6-9, 205-pound Power Forward hailing from Kaukauna, WI. Jensen, on an unofficial visit to the university, received more than just a glimpse into the Illini basketball program – he left with an official offer in hand.

By IlliniGuys Staff February 28, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

February 28, 2024

The Illini continue their Big Ten slate on Wednesday night when the upstart Minnesota Golden Gophers come to the State Farm Center. The Gophers are one of the surprise teams in the Big Ten and country this season and have positioned themselves for a postseason berth with a solid finish. The Illini are looking solidify NCAA seeding and double bye in the Big Ten tournament, with an outside chance at a Big Ten Championship

Tip-off is at 8PM CST and here is what we are looking for. 

Setting the Stage

#13 Illinois (20-7, 11-5 B1G) vs. Minnesota (17-10, 8-8 B1G) 

Feb. 28, 2024 // 8 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center 

TV: BTN – Kevin Kugler (Play-by-Play), Stephen Bardo (Analyst), Andy Katz (Sideline) 

Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas 

Notables

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

February 27, 2024

Zion Gross is a 6-foot-3 shooting guard from Joliet West High School in the Chicagoland area. Despite not being highly ranked in the state of Illinois for the class of 2025, Gross has proven himself as a formidable player with a possible bright future at the next level.

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

February 26, 2024

Amidst the buzz surrounding Illinois women's basketball recruit, Divine Bourrage, the 6-foot–0 point guard from Davenport North has become a focal point of attention in the world of collegiate basketball. With an impressive journey that has led to 34 Division I scholarship offers. 

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

February 26, 2024

Look, I’m not going to tell you that this Illinois defense is becoming elite like Houston or Tennessee, or even very good. But it was better on Saturday when they took on the high scoring Iowa Hawkeyes. Iowa scored 85 points, but in a 74-possession game for a top 12 offense, that isn’t bad. But the second half was much better. The Hawkeyes scored 1.077 PPP in the second half, and after Brad Underwood subbed at the 18-minute mark, the Hawks were under 1 point per possession for the remainder of the second half. That’s very good defensively against that team.

And perhaps even more importantly, they forced Iowa into mostly difficult shots. Although the Hawks shot 62% in the first half from 2-point range, they shot just 34% in the second half on mostly the same shots. They also only allowed 12 3-point attempts, essentially playing the type of defense that Brad Underwood loves. Diving deeper, Iowa was 12-19 at the rim, the fewest shots at the rim that Illinois has allowed since the Rutgers game, back on December 2nd. That’s a big improvement. 

All Illinois head coach Shauna Green could do after a game where they gave up 101 points was hope and believe one day her Illini offense can come close to looking like 2023-24 Iowa. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 25, 2024

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Imagine being an opposing head coach and coming out of the 40-minute assignment of Caitlin Clark’s Iowa onslaught with a smile on your face after giving up 101 points. 

After giving up a 30-point opening quarter, Illinois couldn’t properly settle down in the final 30 minutes during a 101-85 loss at No. 4 Iowa on Sunday afternoon. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 25, 2024

IOWA CITY, Iowa — While the motto for this 2023-24 season has been for Illinois women’s basketball to ignore the start and focus on the finish, its 40 minutes at Carver-Hawkeye resembled its season progress. 

A bad start that saw No. 4 Iowa rack up 30 points in the opening quarter never allowed Illinois to maintain any momentum toward a viable comeback effort in a 101-85 loss for the upset-minded Illini on Sunday afternoon. 

Mike Cagley, Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular and Big Sports […]

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Illinois redshirt freshman guard Niccolo Moretti was part of a five-player substitution by an angry Brad Underwood with 18 minutes to go but would only leave the floor again for 48 seconds.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — Niccolo Moretti went from being used as a motivational prop to being a motivational hero in just 19 minutes of action Saturday. 

Illinois got enough defensive stops to survive a test from an offensively confident Iowa squad to get to its 20th win of the 2023-24 season. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — In a matchup of the two of the league’s best scoring teams, Illinois won an offensive slugfest in State Farm Center. 

The Illini dispatched an upset-minded Iowa squad 95-85 in a game where the home team shot nearly 50 percent from the field to negate the idea that they gave up over 80 points for the fifth time this month.