Basketball

Illinois first-year head coach Shauna Green had no realistic expectations for this season until she invited perennial powerhouse Notre Dame to an empty State Farm Center for an October scrimmage.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 14, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The mental turning point for Shauna Green in her first season as the women’s basketball head coach at the University of Illinois might have been when her team played an opponent with no fans in the stands and no official stats were kept.

Notre Dame, a program coming off a third place finish in the Atlantic Coast Conference, a consistent Top 20 ranking throughout the 2021-22 season and a Sweet 16 appearance in the 2022 NCAA Tournament, came to State Farm Center in the second-to-last weekend in October to play in the annual ‘dark scrimmage’ game just 11 days before the Illini’s exhibition opener. Green’s program over the last five years had won just seven total Big Ten Conference games. By the time Illinois center Kendall Bostic and Notre Dame forward Maddy Westbeld battled for the opening tip, the expectation bar for this first-year Illini coaching staff was not high. 

Illinois head coach Shauna Green is hopeful sophomore forward Brynn Shoup-Hill (ankle/foot) can play in the NCAA Tournament play-in round against Mississippi State on Wednesday night.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 14, 2023

(Photos courtesy Illinois Athletics)

SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- Brynn Shoup-Hill certainly hopes to be on pace to make her return to the playing floor tomorrow night in the NCAA Tournament. 

Illini forward Brynn Shoup-Hill hopes to return after missing the last four games with an undisclosed lower leg injury. (Photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illinois sophomore forward was out of the walking boot and active for the open practice session on the Bryce Center floor Tuesday afternoon. Shoup-Hill, who along with guard Jayla Oden has been out of the lineup since Feb. 22 due to an injury to her right foot, continues to make progress in her rehabilitation to possibly be medically cleared for Illinois’ play-in round game in the NCAA Tournament against Mississippi State (6 p.m. CST, ESPNU).

Brad Sturdy, Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

March 14, 2023

In many cases this will be a longer, drawn out process as many of the players that Illinois is going to target may be declaring for the draft.

Despite a one-year turnaround that matched the all-time Big Ten Conference record, Illinois is slated for the NCAA Tournament play-in round against Mississippi State on Wednesday night.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 13th, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- After 20 years of waiting, the NCAA Tournament selection moment was a muddled, confusing and silent response from the University of Illinois women’s basketball team on Sunday night. 

Not only was Illinois put in a Wednesday night play-in game but the ESPN selection show special made a broadcast mistake that presented the entire Greensboro 1 region altogether after celebrating No. 1 and undefeated South Carolina’s pod in Columbia. Nobody in the Illinois program, which hadn’t seen a NCAA Tournament appearance for 20 years before Sunday, got the satisfaction of seeing its name individually revealed and even if ESPN had done the television broadcast in the correct order, it would’ve had to share the historic moment with Mississippi State. 

University of Illinois Athletics March 12, 2023 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 12, 2023

When Illinois offered 2024 quarterback Danny O'Neil from Indianapolis, it appeared it was just another offer because he is a Midwest prospect.

March, 11, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

EDITOR'S NOTE: Illini sophomore guard Adalia McKenzie has been a weekly contributor on the IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular radio show since January, 2022 and sits down for an exclusive interview with the IlliniGuys after each game.

By IlliniGuys Staff 

March 11, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy has been working the phones and talking with others to gather info on the team prior to the NCAA tournament.

He shared what he's learned last night with IlliniGuys.com members and has the latest on the Illini's recruiting, potential movement among current team members in the offseason, and more in this latest update.

This is exclusive content for IlliniGuys members.  To subscribe, click here:  https://illiniguys.com/subscribe/

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 11, 2023

St. Ignatius High School made it to the IHSA 3A semifinals in Champaign, Illinois.

Brad Sturdy, Co-Host IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 10, 2023

Takeaways
Matchups Matter -

Illinois loses third straight game to Penn State this season in its second round game of the 2023 Big Ten Tournament. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 9, 2023

CHICAGO -- Illinois was just never ever to cross Penn State off its to-do list during the 2022-23 season. 

Brad Sturdy, Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

March 9, 2023

ILLINOIS (20-11, 11-9) Basketball Game Notes

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

March 8, 2023

Jeremiah Fears’ sophomore basketball season came to a complete stop last Friday night.

Illini coach Brad Underwood talks about the latest in […]

By Brad Sturdy/IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

March 7, 2023

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

In the immortal words of President George W. Bush, “Fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again.”.....and yet here I am, getting fooled by another Illinois 2nd half comeback, even if this one fell just short on the road at #5 Purdue.

They outscored Purdue 45-29 in the second half, but that shouldn’t be surprising. Illinois has now outscored opponents by 98 points in the 2nd half of Big Ten games, and they have been outscored by 60 points in the opening stanzas. Everyone loves a comeback, and perhaps one of the greatest moments in Illini basketball history was the 2005 comeback against Arizona. But it can't happen every game.