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17th Ranked Illini Pummel Northwestern, 83-74 to End Slide

17th Ranked Illini Pummel Northwestern, 83-74 to End Slide

By IlliniGuys Staff January 26, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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Bielema on Illini Staff Retention: “For the most part, I feel really good”

Bielema on Illini Staff Retention: “For the most part, I feel really good”

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema declined to get into specifics about assistant coaching contracts and was vague about staff retention for the 2025 season. 

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

January 26, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When it comes to the topic of retention of his 2024 coaching staff, Bret Bielema refused to get into specifics and was intentionally vague in his first media session in nearly a month. 

The Illinois head coach claimed Sunday he “for the most part, feel really good about” about the 10 primary assistant coaches to be back on his Illini staff when spring practices begin in late March and early April. 

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Sturdy's Game Preview: Battle For Illinois

Sturdy's Game Preview: Battle For Illinois

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

January 26, 2025

The Illini are back in action on Sunday and will once again be short-handed with 7’1 center Tomislav Ivisic against Northwestern. The Wildcats beat the Illini in Evanston back in December by a 70-66 score in overtime behind 27 points from Nick Martinelli. This time Illinois has a sold-out home crowd and are hoping for a bit of revenge.

Here’s a look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage

#17 Illinois (13-6, 5-4) vs. Northwestern (12-7, 3-5)
Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025 // 2 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: BTN – Dave Revsine (Play-by-Play) & Jordan Taylor (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

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Illinois Basketball Recruits Take in the Northwestern Game

Illinois Basketball Recruits Take in the Northwestern Game

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

January 25, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team finds itself in a must-win situation as it prepares to face cross-state rival Northwestern after dropping two consecutive conference games against Michigan State and Maryland.

Thursday's loss against Maryland was witnessed by a familiar face

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Illini WR Coach Justin Stepp Loading Up Positional Depth in 2025

Illini WR Coach Justin Stepp Loading Up Positional Depth in 2025

Illinois loses productive receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin but intends to make up their contribution with depth in the receivers room instead of instantly ready alpha personalities.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

January 25, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The irony of why Justin Stepp needed a change of scenery when he made the move from South Carolina to Illinois was his ability as a recruiter.
South Carolina head coach Shane Beamer wanted what he believed was a more dynamic recruiter in that role and Illinois head coach Bret Bielema believed that is exactly who he was getting when he took Stepp away from the Gamecocks coaching staff.

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Illini Center Tomislav Ivisic to Miss Northwestern Game

Illini Center Tomislav Ivisic to Miss Northwestern Game

By IlliniGuys Staff January 25, 2025 CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - […]

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Smith: Greater Expectations Mean Closer Scrutiny For Illini

Smith: Greater Expectations Mean Closer Scrutiny For Illini

By Larry Smith - Co-Host & Executive Producer, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & BigSportsRadio

January 25, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill - For many Illini fans, we got out of bed this morning with a little less pep in our step.

That 91-70 beatdown by Maryland Thursday night left us feeling like we just had a Salmonella Special at the local diner before the game and we felt worse as the night went on.

There's no way to sugarcoat it; it was ugly.  But here's the good news:

It was only...one...game.

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Ked's Recruiting Roundup: Q & A with Illinois Football Commit Kenyon Alston

Ked's Recruiting Roundup: Q & A with Illinois Football Commit Kenyon Alston

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

January 24, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Orlando Sentinel)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois wide receivers coach Justin Stepp is standing out from the competition when it comes to securing talented recruits for the future of Illinois football.

The most recent addition to the Illini roster is Kenyon Alston, a 6-foot-2, 172-pound wide receiver from Orlando, Florida. Alston chose Illinois over offers from some of the top programs in college football, including Baylor, Arkansas, Iowa, Minnesota, Iowa State, Missouri, Penn State, Mississippi State, and West Virginia. These were no mere courtesy offers—these programs made substantial efforts to land Alston.

IlliniGuys spoke with Alston shortly after his commitment for an exclusive Q&A session.

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Sturdy's Rewind: Looking For Answers

Sturdy's Rewind: Looking For Answers

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

January 24, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you're the bug. The Illini were the bug on Thursday night as the Maryland Terrapins totally dominated Illinois by a 91-70 score, one of the 12 worst defeats for Illinois at home in the entirety of their program, going back 120 years. Julian Reese had 27 and 17, but Derik Queen’s 25 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals was even more impressive. Kasparas Jakucionis had 21 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists, but also had 7 turnovers, many leading to Maryland runouts.

Here’s a look back at what we saw.

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Why Rest For Illini Stars in Blowout Win at Northwestern Will Prove Valuable

Why Rest For Illini Stars in Blowout Win at Northwestern Will Prove Valuable

Illinois picked up a 25-point victory inside Welsh-Ryan Arena in the in-state rivalry matchup against Northwestern but accomplished it while its trio of star players sat the bench.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

January 24, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

EVANSTON, Ill. — With about three minutes remaining in what was a 29-point blowout, Kendall Bostic signaled to her head coach that she was ready to go back in the game.

Illinois head coach Shauna Green didn’t even look at her fifth-year center.

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Terrapins Stun Ivisic-less Illini, 91-70

Terrapins Stun Ivisic-less Illini, 91-70

By IlliniGuys Staff January 23, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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Dominant Illini Crush Northwestern 85-60 in Evanston

Dominant Illini Crush Northwestern 85-60 in Evanston

Illinois picked up its second straight 20-point victory inside […]

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Sturdy's Game Preview: Terps In Town

Sturdy's Game Preview: Terps In Town

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

January 23, 2025

The Illini welcome Maryland on Thursday night and the Terps have been a thorn in the side of the Illini over the years. The Terrapins are 15-8 against the Illini and a shocking 6-2 in Champaign, winning over #10 Illinois in January of 2024. The Illini are hoping for a bounce back game after the heartbreaking defeat on Sunday and look to have a very good schedule to start a nice little run, but they will need to take care of the Terrapins first.

Here’s a look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage
#17 Illinois (13-5, 5-3) vs. Maryland (14-5, 4-4)
Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 // 8 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: FS1 – Jason Benetti (Play-by-Play) & Bill Raftery (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

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Ked's Recruiting Roundup: Kenyon Alston Commits to Illinois

Ked's Recruiting Roundup: Kenyon Alston Commits to Illinois

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

January 23, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's page on X)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Fighting Illini continue to build their class of 2026, which is shaping up to be a promising group. Kenyon Alston, a 6-foot-2, 172-pound wide receiver from Bishop More Catholic High School in Orlando, Florida, announced his commitment to Illinois on Thursday afternoon.

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Game Preview: Illini Women Head North to Face In-State Rival Wildcats

Game Preview: Illini Women Head North to Face In-State Rival Wildcats

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) Illinois at Northwestern Date […]

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