Basketball

Heat Checks and Hail Marys - Roadkill Against a Dangerous Michigan Team

Heat Checks and Hail Marys - Roadkill Against a Dangerous Michigan Team

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuy February 28, 2022 The Illini faced […]

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Sturdy's Takeaways - Road Warriors Edition

Sturdy's Takeaways - Road Warriors Edition

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuy February 27, 2022 The Illini continued […]

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Hot-shooting Illini Keep Win Streak Over Michigan Alive, 93-85

Hot-shooting Illini Keep Win Streak Over Michigan Alive, 93-85

IlliniGuys Staff February 27, 2022 ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- […]

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Illini Basketball Preview - Illini at Michigan

Illini Basketball Preview - Illini at Michigan

Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Basketball Writer February 27, 2022 Essentials […]

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“You’re Going to Ride your Horse”: Inside Kofi Cockburn’s Miserable Night vs. Ohio State

“You’re Going to Ride your Horse”: Inside Kofi Cockburn’s Miserable Night vs. Ohio State

Kofi Cockburn had a miserable night offensively, defensively and on the glass in Illinois’ 86-83 home loss to Ohio State on Thursday night.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 26, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The margin simply isn’t very wide for Illinois and following the 86-83 loss to Ohio State Thursday night, the program’s head coach made that point as clear as possible.

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Illini’s NCAA 1st & 2nd Round Locale - It’s Looking Like Milwaukee

Illini’s NCAA 1st & 2nd Round Locale - It’s Looking Like Milwaukee

Illinois’ most likely destination for its first and second round games of the 2022 NCAA Tournament is the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 25, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- With 16 days remaining until the NCAA Tournament bracket is revealed, otherwise unofficially known as Selection Sunday, the destination for Illinois’ first weekend is becoming clearer. 

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Heat Checks and Hail Marys - Sometimes Winning Every Statistical Category but One Isn't Enough

Heat Checks and Hail Marys - Sometimes Winning Every Statistical Category but One Isn't Enough

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuy February 25, 2022 Tonight's game was […]

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Plummer's School Record-Tying Night Fails to Lift #15 Illini Out Of Upset Loss to 22nd ranked Buckeyes

Plummer's School Record-Tying Night Fails to Lift #15 Illini Out Of Upset Loss to 22nd ranked Buckeyes

IlliniGuys Staff February 24, 2022 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - It […]

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Why is Hawkins a Key Contributor off Illini Bench?: “He got his butt in the gym”

Why is Hawkins a Key Contributor off Illini Bench?: “He got his butt in the gym”

Illinois sophomore forward Coleman Hawkins has never been short on natural talent and ability but now he’s regained confidence and, subsequently, regained a role in this Illini rotation.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- It might be the height of irony that while at a university known for one of the nation’s best engineering programs, Coleman Hawkins is learning to calculate the basketball formula for work at Illinois. 

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Illini Basketball Preview - Illini vs Ohio State

Illini Basketball Preview - Illini vs Ohio State

Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Basketball Writer February 24, 2022 Essentials […]

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Inside Jacob Grandison’s “Zen Garden” at Illinois’ Ubben Practice Facility

Inside Jacob Grandison’s “Zen Garden” at Illinois’ Ubben Practice Facility

Illinois senior forward Jacob Grandison has a professional basketball routine to get him through the ups and downs of a long season and, at 24 years old, sees no reason to change it now.  

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- When returning from Willard Airport from a late game at Rutgers last week, Illinois All-American center Kofi Cockburn needed to find Jacob Grandison at around 2 a.m. and had a decent idea where he was.

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Illini Injury Report: RJ Melendez Out vs. Ohio State After Appendicitis; Bosmans-Verdonk Likely Out with Concussion.

Illini Injury Report: RJ Melendez Out vs. Ohio State After Appendicitis; Bosmans-Verdonk Likely Out with Concussion.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 23, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois freshman forward RJ Melendez will be inactive for the next game due to having emergency surgery to remove his appendix. 

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Illini hold onto a spot on the 3-line in latest IlliniGuys Bracketology

Illini hold onto a spot on the 3-line in latest IlliniGuys Bracketology

IlliniGuys Staff February 22, 2022 If there is one […]

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Column: The Case For Firing Juwan Howard

Column: The Case For Firing Juwan Howard

February 21, 2022

MADISON, Wisc. - Before Sunday afternoon, Juwan Howard epitomized the best of America.

He grew up on Chicago's South Side and became an All-American in his play and his personality as one of the faces of college basketball as part of Michigan's famous Fab Five.

He was a lottery pick by the NBA's Washington Bullets in 1994 and began a career that included an All-Star Game appearance and two league championships.  His playing tenure was so long that it began in Clinton's first administration and didn't end until Obama's second.  His talent was great enough to land him the first $100 million contract in league history.  The respect he commanded was so widespread that his transition from player to assistant coach was seamless and his eventual ascension to a head coaching position was a foregone conclusion.  It was a question of where and when, rather than if.

I have never met Juwan personally. But being close in age and having a number of friends in common and enjoying a lengthy career in the national media that paralleled his NBA years, I can tell you that I've never had anyone say a bad word about him, personally or professionally.

All which made his hiring as Michigan's head coach in 2019 a perfect fit.  A "Michigan man" through and through, he had the pedigree and the temperament not to mention the street cred that few other coaches enjoy.

Or so we thought.

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Catching Up With Illini Legend Doug Altenberger

Catching Up With Illini Legend Doug Altenberger

February 21, 2022 (Cover photo courtesy U of I […]

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