Basketball

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

April 28, 2025

The Illini added their top target in the portal Andrej Stojakovic on Monday when he chose Illinois over North Carolina for his junior season. With the roster now essentially set, here’s a look at what they have and where there may be some holes still.

There is no question that this team is older than a year ago, and they are more physically imposing in the frontcourt. Depth up front is greater than it has been in a long time and they have 3 bonafide playmakers on the perimeter. Here’s a look at each position.

The eldest son of former All-NBA sharpshooter Peja Stojaković […]

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular April 28, 2025 This […]

UCLA overtakes the Illini from an eight-shot deficit to […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – From the moment Shauna Green took over the Illinois women’s basketball program, she leaned into her recruiting ties, particularly from her days at Dayton. One of the most significant early results of that effort was the commitment of five-star forward Berry Wallace who she kept close tabs on.

While recruiting rankings often serve as coffee talk and message board speculation, Wallace, a 6-foot-1 forward from Pickerington, Ohio, more than validated the hype during her freshman season.

After two days of competition, Illinois is in a […]

Illinois sophomore Max Herendeen holds a three-shot lead at 7-under-par following a bogey-free 63.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 25, 2025

Despite every inconsistency Illinois head coach Mike Small said existed throughout the 2024-25 regular season, the Illini find themselves once again in a familiar position after day one of the Big Ten Championships - at the top of the leaderboard.

Illinois will sleep on a seven-shot lead after posting a 10-under-par opening round as Illini sophomore Max Herendeen has a three-shot lead at 7-under-par following a bogey-free 63. The Illinois second-year talent, who is currently ranked as the 30th best amateur player in the world, once again proved postseason play and major tournament is when his game shines the most. Herendeen, who turned 20 years old in January, matched a career-low round at the East Course of the Baltimore Country Club with a back-nine 30. He also matched the all-time low round in a Big Ten Championship in an 18-hole opening day that catapulted him into the leadership spot for the race for the medalist honors of the league title tournament.

Illinois head coach Mike Small knows that this part of the season is where his program has annually met the expectations of being nationally competitive.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 24, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When the Illinois men’s golf team arrives in Baltimore this week for the 2025 Big Ten Conference Championships, they’ll be the favorites to win, they’ll be a top 15 nationally ranked squad and they’ll be the owners of 13 of the last 15 league titles.

And the reason Illinois head coach Mike Small loves this time of the year is everything described in the previous paragraph, while very much true, is completely irrelevant once all 90 players representing 18 programs stick the tee in the ground on their opening hole of the tournament.

“You can’t get (players) all riled up and emotional and then tell them to go play golf because that’s when the hole shrinks on you and you can’t just go to place and expect to beat people because of who you are. You have to hit your standard,” Small said. “Hopefully our standard has increased over the last two or three months.”

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini women's […]

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

April 23, 2025

The Illini added a big piece to the puzzle on Tuesday when Mihailo Petrovic signed with the Illini for the 2025-26 season. The 6’2" guard plays in the ABA League right now and is averaging 14.3 ppg and 7.3 apg, both top 10 in the league. Last week he posted a 28 point and 13 assist game and during April he is averaging 21.7 ppg, 11.3 apg and 4.6 rpg, while 64% from 2, 50% from 3 and 86% from the line.

Those are fantastic numbers, but let’s dig a little deeper.

April 23, 2025

The Illini staff is still working hard today after spending Tuesday giving transfer prospect Andrej Stojakovic the first-class treatment on Tuesday. 

IlliniGuys insider/analyst Brad Sturdy offered these notes on our premium forums last night:

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

April 22, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – While much of Illini Nation remains on edge during the heart of Portal Kombat, the Illinois men’s basketball staff continues to work strategically behind the scenes. Without revealing much publicly, the staff has quietly and methodically been assembling a roster it believes can win.

Today, ESPN’s Jonathan Givony reported that Illinois received a verbal commitment from Serbian point guard Mihailo Petrovic. The 6-foot-3, 22-year-old guard, who represents the Serbian national team, brings with him both international experience and the potential to make an immediate impact in the Big Ten.

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

April 22, 2025

(Photo courtesy Cal Athletics)

(Editor's note: Larry is a co-founder of IlliniGuys.com and is a veteran award-winning journalist who has covered nearly 70 major championships worldwide, including a dozen Final Fours and six NBA Finals. He is the host of the WNBA on Ion studio show, which launches its second season on May 16th.)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Navigating the transfer portal as a fan takes patience. Every spring, it's the same for Illini fans - and supporters of other programs as well. 

Some names get mentioned.

Some names are close. 

Some names join the team, but more often than not, prospective transfers choose to go elsewhere.

There are only so many roster spots. There is only so much NIL money, though Illinois it appears is going to rank among the nation's elite when it comes to spending.

Illini head coach Brad Underwood and staff more than made up for the unexpected transfer of Morez Johnson Jr. to Michigan by bringing in Arkansas 7-footer Zvonimir Ivisic and European power forward David Mirkovic. Now, they seem primed to make Illini Nation forget all about the failed pursuit of former Iowa sharpshooter Josh Dix by landing a much more talented wing prospect...

Andrej Stojakovic.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular April 21, 2025 This […]

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

April 19, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Earlier this week, one of the best players in college basketball entered the NCAA transfer portal: California’s Andrej Stojakovic, a former five-star recruit and 2023 McDonald’s All-American.

When the announcement became official on Thursday, Stojakovic immediately added the “Do Not Contact” tag to his portal profile, which was broken by DraftExpress' Jonathan Givony.