Basketball

Sturdy's 4 Takeaways - The Illini's Very Bad Day versus Penn State

Sturdy's 4 Takeaways - The Illini's Very Bad Day versus Penn State

Brad Sturdy, Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

December 11, 2022

Coming off of the win against Texas, the Illini were feeling good about themselves, perhaps a bit too good.

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Rough Defensive Effort & Poor Second-Half Offense For No. 17 Illini Leads To Blowout Loss to Penn State

Rough Defensive Effort & Poor Second-Half Offense For No. 17 Illini Leads To Blowout Loss to Penn State

Just days after defeating the No. 2 team in the country on a neutral floor, No. 17 Illinois drops its worst loss at home since March 7, 2019.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 10, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois simply forgot to bring its defense back home from New York City and saw its second-half offense unable to make another comeback. 

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Illinois Basketball Preview vs Penn State

Illinois Basketball Preview vs Penn State

IlliniGuys Staff and Illinois Sports Information December 10, 2022 […]

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Illini Hitting Their Stride

Illini Hitting Their Stride

Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Basketball Writer December 9, 2022 Illinois […]

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Sturdy's Exclusive - New York Rewind & NBA Scouts

Sturdy's Exclusive - New York Rewind & NBA Scouts

Brad Sturdy, Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

December 9, 2022

Whirlwind 36 hours from the time I left my house and drove 4 hours to Chicago, flew to NYC, then back to Chicago and back home.

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Watch: Illini coach Shauna Green talks after win over Rutgers

Watch: Illini coach Shauna Green talks after win over Rutgers

Illini women's basketball coach Shauna Green talks after getting […]

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Adalia McKenzie Records Double-Double as Illini Overwhelm Rutgers 80-62

Adalia McKenzie Records Double-Double as Illini Overwhelm Rutgers 80-62

Adalia McKenzie had a double-double in the third quarter […]

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Illini Women Open Big Ten Home Slate Against Rutgers

Illini Women Open Big Ten Home Slate Against Rutgers

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 7, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Shauna Green needed to take the mental and emotional temperature of her basketball roster following a close loss at No. 5 Indiana.

In the Monday afternoon film review and short practice just over 24 hours after the loss in Bloomington, Ind., Green asked her team what they were feeling following the most competitive game that Illinois has played against the Hoosiers in several years.

“They kept telling me that they were mad,” Green said Tuesday. “They were saying words like disappointed. And I want them to be that way. I don’t want to coach a team that is happy to be in it because our expectation was to go there and win.”

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Sturdy's Takeaways: Horns Down

Sturdy's Takeaways: Horns Down

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

December 7, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Brad Penner/USA Today Sports)

Horns Down

The 17th ranked Fighting Illini trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half before battling back to beat the #2 Texas Longhorns in overtime in the JimmyV Classic at Madison Square Garden by an 85-78 score. Matthew Mayer scored a career-high 21 points, keeping Illinois alive in the first half, before Jayden Epps (11 points) made big plays down the stretch and Terrence Shannon took over with 12 points in overtime (16 overall) to give the Illini the win over the previously unbeaten Longhorns. 

The Illini move to 7-2 and now have another big non-conference win over a national program heading into Big Ten play. 

Here’s what we saw.

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17th Ranked Illini Rally To Stun #2 Texas In OT, 85-78

17th Ranked Illini Rally To Stun #2 Texas In OT, 85-78

By IlliniGuys Staff December 6, 2022 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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#17 Illini vs. #2 Texas Preview & Sturdy's Prediction

#17 Illini vs. #2 Texas Preview & Sturdy's Prediction

Jimmy V Classic // #17/17 Illinois (6-2) vs. #2/2 Texas (6-0)
Dec. 6, 2022 // 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET) // New York, N.Y. // Madison Square Garden
TV: ESPN – Dan Shulman (Play-by-Play), Jay Bilas (Analyst), Holly Rowe (Reports)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas (Analyst) // SiriusXM 134/195, SXM App 957

• No. 17 Illinois returns to the East Coast on Tuesday night, facing No. 2 Texas in the Jimmy V Classic at Madison Square Garden (6 p.m. CT, ESPN).

• Illinois’ two losses are away from home to undefeated teams: 7-0 Virginia in Las Vegas and at 8-0 Maryland. No. 2 Texas is Illinois’ fourth ranked opponent in nine games to open the season, and third top-10 Kenpom foe. Illinois is 1-2 versus ranked opponents this season and has won 12 of its last 20 games against Top 25 teams.  Illinois is 11-5 in their last 16 games versus top-10 teams. Illinois is a combined 7-40 all-time against teams ranked in the top 2 of the AP poll.

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Thoughts After The Maryland Loss

Thoughts After The Maryland Loss

IlliniGuys Staff

December 5, 2021

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Long before our Larry Smith was an IlliniGuy, he was a sports anchor for CNN and more recently an award-winning news anchor in Washington, D.C.  So, the Illini's game at Maryland Friday night gave him a chance to not only cover his favorite team for us, but engage in a wide-range of conversations from the BTN broadcast team to Jayden Epps' family to Maryland's legendary national championship-winning coach Gary Williams.

He offered his thoughts the day after the Illinois loss to our premium members on the IlliniGuys' message forum, the site of countless insider nuggets and expert observations.  You can read Larry's contributions as well as those of our team of experts and analysts by signing up for your free 7-day trial right here on IlliniGuys.com: https://illiniguys.com/subscribe/

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Cook's career-high 33 points lifts Illini to near-upset of #5 Indiana

Cook's career-high 33 points lifts Illini to near-upset of #5 Indiana

(From Illini Sports Information Department)   BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Illinois […]

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“This is why you come to Illinois”: Matchup at No. 5 Indiana Seen As Shauna Green’s Measuring Stick in Year One

“This is why you come to Illinois”: Matchup at No. 5 Indiana Seen As Shauna Green’s Measuring Stick in Year One

The Hoosiers have claimed the last 13 meetings of this series and in order to make it a rivalry again, Shauna Green's first meeting with Indiana has to set a tone.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

December 4, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Big Ten Conference office isn’t going to allow Shauna Green to settle into her league schedule and in her mind that’s why she came to Illinois. 

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Illini Freshmen Get Lesson In A Foreign Classroom

Illini Freshmen Get Lesson In A Foreign Classroom

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Staff

December 3, 2022

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - There is something to be said about firsts.

The first time you had a wreck on your bicycle.  The first time you walked into a new classroom.  The first time getting behind the wheel of a car.  That first kiss.  Just to name a few.

All cause moments of apprehension or fear.  The hope is to survive them with as few scars as possible.

Friday night at Maryland was the first time #16 Illinois walked onto the home court of another team after five games at State Farm Center and a pair of contests at a state-of-the-art arena in Las Vegas.

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