Basketball

February 7, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy Ball Durham)

Gosh darnit, you gotta give ESPN credit.  Did you watch any of Saturday's coverage of the Duke-North Carolina game?  They're doing their best to give Mike Krzyzewski the sendoff you expected and that he so richly deserves.

Like him or not, the venerable Duke coach is an icon.  More wins than any other coach, five NCAA championships, a dozen Final Four appearances, and 15 ACC titles highlight an illustrious career the likes of which we may never see again.  He took over a proud Duke team at the tender age of 33 and made it his own and over the past four decades built it into the pre-eminent college basketball program in the nation.

Krzyzewski announced his retirement last offseason after the Blue Devils missed the NCAA tournament for just the second time since 1983 and the farewell tour has been pretty much as expected.  However, there has been one thing missing:

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst

February 6, 2022

(Cover photo courtesy The Crimson Quarry)

The Illini trailed by 2 at the break despite Indiana star Trayce Jackson-Davis sitting most of teh half with 2 fouls. But the Illini came out in the second half with soem lockdown defense and then finally hit some shots from deep and cruised to a 74-57 win in Bloomington. Trent Frazier led the way with 23 points and 4 assists, while Kofi Cockburn added 17 points and 8 rebounds for the Illini (17-5, 10-2). 

Indiana got 13 from Race Thompson and 12 from Xavier Johnson, but leading scorer Jackson-Davis had just 6 as they fell to 16-6 and 7-5 in league play. 

Here’s a look back. 

These 3 Things:

Second Half Domination - I asked Brad Underwood if it was a great halftime adjustment, but the reality is that it was really just execution.

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuys February 6, 2022 It was an […]

Illinois relied on experience of veteran stars to carry them in a second half where they outscored Indiana 40-21 in the Illini’s largest winning margin in Bloomington since 1956. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 5, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Illinois’ dominating performance in Bloomington’s Assembly Hall is a product of what Brad Underwood has been preaching for years. Old teams win a lot and win big in college basketball. 

IlliniGuys Staff February 5, 2022 BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Trent […]

Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Basketball Writer February 5, 2022 Essentials […]

IlliniGuys.com Staff February 4, 2022 Just five weekends remaining […]

Mike Cagley, IlliniGuy February 3, 2022 Last night was […]

Illinois center Kofi Cockburn and Wisconsin’s Johnny Davis showcase in classic tilt that may shape Big Ten Player of the Year race.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 3, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- At the halfway point of the Big Ten Conference season, Kofi Cockburn used a spotlight game to seemingly pull out in front of the proverbial horse race for league player of the year. 

IlliniGuys Staff February 2, 2022 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Kofi […]

The Illini-Wisconsin matchup Wednesday night of Brandin Podziemski and Johnny Davis will represent the last two Wisconsin Mr. Basketball selections. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 2, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The recruiting process for Brandin Podziemski could certainly be classified as a lesson in patience. 

Connor Cagley, IlliniGuys Basketball Writer February 2, 2022 Essentials […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 1, 2022

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- When it comes to his body and specifically, health above his large shoulders, it turns out Kofi Cockburn is like a lot of us: He hates surprises.

Following the 59-56 win at Northwestern in his first game back from concussion protocols on Saturday, the Illinois junior center said the head injury issues that sidelined him for the road loss at Maryland and the home win against Michigan State “didn’t scare him but was a different experience” he’s ever felt.

“The hardest thing was just not knowing what that feels like, just not knowing how to handle it, that was really tough for me,” Cockburn said on Saturday.

University of Illinois Athletics January 31, 2022 Champaign, ILL.– […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting 

January 28, 2022

Winning Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois is a big deal.