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By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

November 9, 2024

(Cover picture courtesy player's page on X)

I feel like I need to warn any family members of current or former Illini: If you're worthy of a P4 scholarship in football, you can expect a recruiting blitz from Bret Bielema.  Tywan Cox is the sixth player to pledge to the Illini after having a brother play football in Champaign, and I don't think this trend is going to slow down anytime soon.  Aside from all that, I'm really enthusiastic about Cox as a prospect regardless of his lineage.  Despite his excellent performance at football factory Northwestern (Miami) High School and his lineage from his brother Torrie Jr. and father Torrie Sr., Tywan didn't get the high major interest he would have liked and committed to USF in June.  However, Illinois got involved and stayed involved through the fall and liked Tywan's fall film enough to make him an offer and he jumped.

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood may have found the program’s first true lead guard since he took over the Illini job in the form of 18-year-old Kasparas Jakucionis.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 9, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In just his second game in an Illinois jersey, Kasparas Jakucionis already getting questions from the coaching staff usually reserved for a much older and mature college basketball player.

During a first half media timeout, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood confirmed to media following the Illini’s dominating 90-58 win over Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville that they’re asking their first-year point guard what sets he prefers instead of dictating the calls to the 18-year-old.

“He’s already to the point where during timeouts we’re asking him as coaches what he likes to run and what he’s seeing out there,” Underwood said. “He already has a great maturity of understanding defenses and the matchups of a given opponent. That’s not normal for somebody his age.”

By IlliniGuys Staff November 8, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

November 8, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – This past summer at the Brookfield-Riverside Shootout, I sat courtside with the Illinois men’s basketball staff as they watched several standout performances from Lincoln Williams, a 6-foot-5 shooting guard from Kankakee.

The talented junior caught the attention of scouts in every game he played and tonight it's his turn to sit in the stands as he will see the Fighting Illini take on SIU Edwardsville at 7 p.m. CT at the State Farm Center.

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

November 8, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

The Fighting Illini are back in action on Friday night when the SIUE Cougars invade the State Farm Center. The Illini are coming off of a dismantling of EIU, but the Cougars gave Indiana a run in Bloomington before faltering in the 2nd half. This won’t be as easy as the first game.

Here’s a look at what to expect.

Setting the Stage

#24 Illinois (1-0) vs. SIUE (1-1)
Friday, Nov. 8, 2024 // 7 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
Stream: Peacock – Noah Reed (Play-by-Play), Stephen Bardo (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

Big Ten Champs

*Fans are encouraged to arrive early and be in their seats by 6:30 p.m. on Friday, as Illinois will hold a pregame ceremony celebrating the 2024 NCAA Elite Eight and Big Ten Tournament Championship before tipoff vs. SIUE. Rings will be presented to returning players, coaches, managers, and staff in recognition of Illinois’ stellar 2023-24 season that ended with 29 victories, the third-winningest season in school history. Illinois claimed its third conference championship in the last four years, capturing the 2024 Big Ten Tournament (BTT) crown in Minneapolis as Brad Underwood became the first Illini coach to win multiple BTT titles. Illinois earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament and won three games, including a victory over No. 2 seed Iowa State in the Sweet 16, to advance to the NCAA East Regional Final, the program’s first Elite Eight appearance since 2005. The ceremony will include remarks from Underwood and conclude with the unveiling and raising of the 2024 season banner in recognition of the Elite Eight run and Big Ten Tournament title.

Notable

*Friday’s contest marks just the fourth game in the series between Illinois and SIUE. The Cougars (1-1) are coming off a hard-fought battle at No. 17 Indiana (80-61) on Wednesday. The Fighting Illini are 3-0 all-time vs. the SIUE, with all three victories coming at State Farm Center.

*The Cougars are coming off an 80-61 loss at Indiana Wednesday. Ray’Sean Taylor (17 points) and Arnas Sakenis (career-high 9 rebounds) led SIUE. Myles Thompson added a career-high 10 points in the loss.

*SIUE opened its 57th season of men’s basketball Monday with a 95-42 win over Westminster. The Cougars got points from 13 of 14 players who saw the floor Monday. Ray’Sean Taylor picked up his fourth career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Brian Taylor II scored a career-high 15 points.

*SIUE has nine newcomers to this year’s team. The Cougars were picked for a third-place finish in the OVC by a vote of the league’s coaches and sports information personnel. Little Rock was picked first and earned 20 first-place votes. The Cougars received the other two first-place votes.

*Illinois’ 112 points were the most since scoring 122 vs. North Carolina A&T on Nov. 25, 2020, and marked the ninth time in the Brad Underwood era that the Illini have eclipsed the 100-point mark. Ten players made their Illini debuts, including all five starters. Brad Underwood improves to 8-0 in season openers as head coach at Illinois. Overall Illinois is 106-14 (.883) all-time in season openers, and have won nine straight openers, dating back to 2016.

*Illinois outrebounded EIU, 58-28, starting the season with a +30 margin after winning the battle of the boards 31 times last season. The +30 rebounding margin marked the most since a +33 margin on Nov. 19, 2023, vs. Southern. The Illini went 34-for-46 from the free-throw line, the program’s most makes in a game since also recording 34 on Nov. 10, 2017, against Southern (34-for-37). • Illinois’ 63 bench points were the most in a single game since at least 2019-20.

*Will Riley (31 points) and Kasparas Jakucionis (11 points) are the first freshman duo since at least 2010-11 to score in double figures in the Illini’s season opener. Riley’s 31-point effort set the program record for points by a freshman in an Illini debut. In addition to his 11 points, Jakucionis dished out seven assists in his first collegiate game, setting the Illinois program record for assists in a freshman debut.

*Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn scored a career-high 21 points, eclipsing his previous high of 18 set in his Illinois debut last season vs. Eastern Illinois. Gibbs-Lawhorn also connected on a career-most four 3-pointers. Tomislav Ivisic (14 points, 14 rebounds) became the first Illini to register a double-double in an Illini debut since Dain Dainja (17 points, 10 rebounds) did so against EIU on Nov. 7, 2022. Ivisic is also the first Illini to post totals of at least 14 points and 14 rebounds in a game since Dainja (20 points, 15 rebounds) vs. UMKC on Nov. 11, 2022. Morez Johnson Jr. tied the Illinois program freshman record with six blocks vs. EIU.

Keys to the Game

Handle It -

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

November 8, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, IL. – Illinois basketball is steeped in tradition, and over the years, many talented freshmen have made their marks on the program. Deon Thomas, Kiwane Garris, Adam Miller, Kofi Cockburn, Dee Brown, Bruce Douglas, Derek Harper, Ayo Dosunmu, Deron Williams and Brian Cook are just a few examples. Now, fans may have another name to add to that list: Will Riley, a five-star recruit from Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.

After the first CFP rankings, IlliniGuys.com senior reporter Matthew […]

Illinois fourth-year wing Adalia McKenzie has been hearing from her head coach for two years that she’s an All-Big Ten talent and McKenzie showed it in a 83-74 win over No. 19 Florida State.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 7, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois head coach Shauna Green is seeing another version of Adalia McKenzie that she’s been hoping, praying, prodding and believing was in the fourth-year forward.

On Thursday, McKenzie showed that new, confident and efficient player to the world and an announced crowd of 3,741 inside State Farm Center in a 83-74 upset win over No. 19 Florida State to open the 2024-25 season.

“I saw it all summer. I saw it all preseason. She’s on another level right now,” Green said following her team’s third victory over a ranked opponent since she took over the Illini job in March 2022.

By IlliniGuys Staff November 7, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 7, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The end-of-summer meetings in college athletics always have a newfound dynamic now with the transfer portal looming over every conversation.

In June there was a women’s basketball media availability after Illinois head coach Shauna Green had conducted an end-of-season meeting with veteran forward Brynn Shoup-Hill. The meeting could’ve ended with both coach and player wanting to part ways. After the 6-foot-3 forward wasn’t a rotational piece in the Illini lineup from Jan. 20 to the end of the 2023-24 season, not many would’ve likely blamed either party for wanting to find a fresh start for Shoup-Hill’s final season of college basketball. However, the opposite happened.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys […]

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

November 7, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, IL. — Shauna Green, Illinois women's basketball head coach, recently received a contract extension, pending approval by the University of Illinois Board of Trustees at its Nov. 14 meeting. The new six-year agreement is set to keep her through at least the 2029-30 season. With more options possible.

Based on his post-game media conference, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema sees things that bother him about the pass protection issues that presented themselves on Saturday in loss to Minnesota.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 6, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — In what was likely a sarcastic but possibly enlightening comment immediately the 25-17 loss to Minnesota, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema believes his team’s final offensive play is a microcosm of the problem that has popped up recently. 

“I think it was a fitting ending for us that our final play ended on a sack fumble on a three-man rush,” Bielema said. “I think that showed exactly what wasn’t in the deck of cards for us.” 

So, let’s first look at this final offensive play because frankly, it’s really not all that complicated to understand.

Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Insider & Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio

November 6, 2024

(Cover photo courtesy USA Today)

Tier 3 - They have a shot an NCAA bid, but they have more questions than answers right now. 

USC-The Muss bus is now in LA, and they have a completely overhauled roster. They have added 11 transfers and two freshmen, with 8 of the transfer being grad students. Muss loves him some wings with size and length.

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was reprimanded, and Illinois was fined $5,000 by the Big Ten Conference for a violation the league’s sportsmanship Policy with “his criticism of officiating” following 25-17 loss to Minnesota.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 5, 2024

ROSEMONT, Ill. — The University of Illinois athletics department has been issued a $5,000 fine by the Big Ten Conference for what conference officials are categorizing is a violation of the league’s sportsmanship policy following Illini head football coach Bret Bielema’s comments directed at league officiating after the Illini’s 25-17 loss to Minnesota last weekend.