Basketball

By Kedric Prince Staff Writer

October 22, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team is gearing up for what is expected to be another exciting season. Last week’s Big Ten Media Day offered an early glimpse into expectations for 2025-26, as the conference’s preseason rankings were released.

The media selected Illinois to finish fourth behind, in order, Purdue, Michigan, and UCLA. KenPom.com’s preseason rankings were equally high on the Illini, placing them at No. 6 nationally, the second-highest Big Ten team behind the No. 2 Boilermakers.

Illinois assistant coach Zach Hamer spoke about his expectations for the upcoming season and the energy surrounding the program.

October 23, 2025

IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst Kedric Prince shared the following insider notes earlier this week following Illinois' 92-65 exhibition win over Illinois State on Sunday.  He gives an intriguing glimpse inside the program, looking at how players are developing 

What I learned yesterday at the State Farm Center, where Illinois defeated Illinois State 92-65 in front of 15,180 fans, goes beyond the final score.
Let’s start with what happened off the court. Recruiting is nowhere near what it used to be or how it’s done, and Illinois has adjusted its approach accordingly. In Brad Underwood’s early years as head coach, he had to sell his vision. Now, with the success he’s built, the Illini approach things differently.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

October 22, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Fighting Illini men’s basketball program welcomed several visitors to campus this past weekend, including committed forward Landon Davis from Waukee, Iowa, 2026 4-star guard prospect Adam Oumiddoch; and Ben Wade, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound small forward from Iowa City, Iowa, in the Class of 2028.

Wade doesn’t yet hold an offer from Illinois, but he told IlliniGuys that the Illini are high on his list, especially with Davis already committed, adding extra appeal to the recruitment. The two sat together inside the State Farm Center to watch Illinois roll past Illinois State 92-65.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 21, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – At this time, it seems as though one of the key cogs in the Illinois offense this season will be point guard Mihailo Petrovic. Head coach Brad Underwood has harped on the 6-foot-3 Serbian point guard’s pace, a key strength as the Illini are looking to play faster and more downhill than ever.

Petrovic made the flip to college basketball after a strong campaign in the Adriatic League, where he averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game and became a potential MVP candidate. At just 22 and beginning to establish himself as one of the top players in a league that’s produced the likes of Nikola Jokic, Dario Saric, and Goga Bitadze, Petrovic explained why he made the move from the Balkan Peninsula to Champaign.

By Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

October 20, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Landon Davis, a 6-foot-8 power forward from Waukee, Iowa, made the trip to Champaign with his family for his official visit as Illinois hosted Illinois State in an exhibition game at the State Farm Center.

We caught up with Davis to get the latest on his visit and what stood out the most during his time in Champaign.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 19, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illini fans got their first taste of 17th-ranked Illinois basketball in a 92-65 exhibition victory over Illinois State, albeit with some unavailable players, with the likes of Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic, and Mihailo Petrovic all sitting this one out for various reasons.

While the Redbirds were without All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team selection Chase Walker and Second Team selection Johnny Kinziger, the game gave Illinois a chance to go up against the preseason No. 1 team in the MVC. Here are three quick takeaways from the win:

David Mirkovic: The Swiss Army Knife

By IlliniGuys Staff October 19, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

October 19, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

And we are back. The Illini open up the exhibition season with a matchup against in-state opponent Illinois State at the State Farm Center on Sunday afternoon. The ‘Balkan Illini’ will be short handed in this one as Andrej Stojakovic, Tomislav Ivisic and Mihailo Petrovic remain sidelined due to injury, tonsils and NCAA clearance, respectively. But the Illini will still tip off at 2:00pm Sunday as they get ready for the regular season in two weeks.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 18, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy coach's social media page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois has become a hotspot for international recruits in recent years, and one of the key figures at the center of that is assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Geoff Alexander.

In fact, in the days leading up to local media day earlier this month, Alexander was fresh off a trip to Europe. He said he was in five countries in seven days, visiting Berlin (Germany), Vilnius and Kaunas (Lithuania), Belgrade (Serbia), Lyon (France), and Madrid (Spain). Alexander explained that the process for recruiting outside of Europe is different, but that the program has an advanced network of scout-like parties that it relies on. This system makes the job of international recruiters like himself and associate head coach Orlando Antigua easier.

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

October 17, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Entering his second year in the Orange and Blue and his fourth overall as a college basketball player, Kylan Boswell has had a unique journey. An Urbana native with family ties to the University of Illinois, Boswell’s basketball career has taken some twists and turns, but staring down his senior year of college basketball, he says he wouldn’t have wanted it to play out any differently.

After graduating from Urbana Middle School, Boswell moved to AZ Compass Prep in Chandler, Arizona, and committed to play for the Arizona Wildcats, classing up a year early to play as a freshman in college when he would have been a senior in high school. After competing for the Wildcats for two years, Boswell entered the transfer portal and committed to play for his hometown team in Illinois.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

(Editor's note: Ked delivered this on the IlliniGuys premium message boards on Tuesday.)

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The season is right around the corner, and here’s an IlliniGuys exclusive message board update on how things are looking. The players mentioned below are the ones I was able to gather information on.

The first two names were senior Kylan Boswell and freshman Keaton Wagler

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

October 16, 2025

Player Biography: Gisela Segura, a 5-foot-11 guard, arrives in Champaign as a transfer student from Franklin Pierce and LIU. At LIU, she totaled 112 points, 67 rebounds, 28 assists, 23 steals, and 11 blocks. Before that, at the Division II level with Franklin Pierce from 2020-24, Segura appeared in 60 games, scoring 414 points while adding 263 rebounds, 119 assists, and 107 steals.

What we know:

By IlliniGuys Staff

(Cover photo courtesy Champaign-Urbana News-Gazette)

Illinois has been blessed with some immensely talented basketball players over the years.  All-Americans, Big Ten Players of the Year, and those who have reached the penultimate level in college hoops.

IlliniGuys co-owners Mike Cagley, Larry Smith, and Brad Sturdy and IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting Kedric Prince all grew up in the 1970s and 80s, so we posed the question - who is the greatest Illini center in your lifetime?

That was the debate in this recent edition of the I On The Illini podcast:

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/illiniguys-top-5-fighting-illini-cs-in-our-lifetime-493/id1548299600?i=1000720671211

By Kedric Prince – IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

October 14, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Fighting Illini women’s program has long sought to keep top in-state talent at home, especially Miss Basketball, a feat not accomplished since 1998 with Taylorville’s Allison Curtin. This year, Chicago Whitney Young guard Destiny Jackson is changing the narrative.

Standing 5-foot-6, Jackson is bringing her elite skills and athleticism to Illinois under the direction of four-year head coach Shauna Green. Jackson is already making an impression on her coaches and teammates as she prepares for her freshman season. She was ranked No. 29 nationally by ESPN and is part of a top-10 recruiting class for 2025.

During summer workouts, Jackson sustained a minor wrist injury, but she appears ready to go as the season nears, and Green appears to feel she's ready to go.

By IlliniGuys Staff October 13, 2025 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - […]