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By IlliniGuys Staff November 11, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

November 11, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

The #11 Texas Tech squad comes to Champaign on Tuesday night in a showdown of top 15 teams. Both teams are 2-0 and come in with high hopes for the season. Illinois will be without big man Tomislav Ivisic, but should get guard Mihailo Petrovic back for this one as Brad Underwood said he is dressing. That should help as the Illini look to get a home win against a ranked non-conference opponent.

Here are the particulars.

Setting the Stage
#14 Illinois (2-0) vs. #11 Texas Tech (2-0)
Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 // 7:30 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: FS1 – Jeff Levering (Play-by-Play), Steve Smith (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

Notable
*No. 14 Illinois hosts the third contest of a four-game, season-opening homestand on Tuesday night, welcoming No. 11 Texas Tech to State Farm Center (7:30 p.m. CT / FS1). Illinois carries a four-game home winning streak.

*The Fighting Illini are off to a 2-0 start to their 121st season of men’s basketball with blowout wins over Jackson State (113-55) and Florida Gulf Coast (113-70). Illinois is looking to start 3-0 for the fifth time under Brad Underwood, and the third time in the last four seasons.

*In facing No. 11 Texas Tech, Illinois is in search of its highest ranked win since a 109-77 victory at No. 9 Oregon last season (Jan. 2, 2025). Illinois is aiming for its highest ranked home win, meanwhile, since beating No. 11 Wisconsin, 80-67, at State Farm Center on Feb. 2, 2022.

*Forward David Mirkovic was named Monday as the Big Ten Freshman of the Week after back-to-back double-doubles to open his college career against Jackson State (19 points, 14 rebounds) and Florida Gulf Coast (18 points, 11 rebounds) while becoming the first Illini freshman to record a double-double in his college debut since Kofi Cockburn in 2019. Mirkovic averaged 18.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists on the week.

*Senior Kylan Boswell enters Tuesday’s game 21 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career (979).

*Illinois has 27 victories over ranked opponents since the start of the 2019-20 season, another highlight of the job Brad Underwood has done rebuilding the Fighting Illini program.

*The Illini’s 27 ranked wins since 2019-20 are tied for ninth nationally over the last six-plus seasons:

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer November 11, […]

Illinois linebacker Dylan Rosiek and right tackle Melvin Priestly are expected to play Saturday vs. Maryland

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 10, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — While its first bye week may have come later than any other Big Ten Conference program, the second bye week may have occurred in time for Illinois to get back to its healthiest possible roster of the 2025 season.

Minus the obvious season-ending injury to defensive back Xavier Scott, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema feels like every other projected starter should be available when the Illini host Maryland at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Saturday afternoon (2:30 p.m. CST, FS1).

“We should be at pretty full strength on Saturday,” Bielema said Monday.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 10, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Phenom Hoops Report)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois men’s basketball program continues to pursue some of the nation’s best high school talent this fall, targeting players who fit Brad Underwood’s system.

While the Illini have missed out on a few major recruiting targets, they secured a key commitment from 6-foot-6 wing Lucas Morillo, a rising player whose national ranking has continued to climb.

Next on the commitment watch list is highly regarded 6-foot-6 wing Adam Oumiddoch from Overtime Elite. Oumiddoch is set to announce his college decision Wednesday, with Illinois, Oregon, LSU, St. John’s, and Villanova among his final choices.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular and Big Sports Radio […]

The new-look Illinois lineup and rotation found itself in a tight game against upstart Illinois State highlighting the good, bad and very encouraging future of this Illini squad.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 9, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There are going to be times early in this 2025-26 season where Shauna Green won’t agree that new isn’t better and she certainly won’t think it’s fun.

The Illinois women’s basketball’s 75-65 win over Illinois State on Sunday will likely be one of those times.

“It’s a constant learning every single possession of my life,” Green said in describing her feelings of still trying to figure out this 2025-26 roster. “

Yes, in a complete reversal of last season’s depth issues, Illinois

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 9, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Zeno Jo/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In its push to look for some defensive linemen to add to its 2026 class, the Illinois Fighting Illini football team hosted an in-state big man who could be rated as an under- the-radar get.

Markius Woods, currently a senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, was among the group of visitors at Gies Memorial Stadium last week for the team’s 35-13 win over Rutgers.

“It’s a great visit right now, just showing me the atmosphere. I’m just trying to see if I could call this place home for me,” Woods said.

By IlliniGuys Staff November 9, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

(From Illinois Sports Information Office)   Illinois vs. Illinois […]

The weekly rankings shows produced by Disney/ESPN are designed to be content aggregators for those addicted to college football but not designed to be taken seriously at all.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 8, 2025

Welcome the annual column where I do my best to convince you on how one of the biggest fraudulent moments inside college sports occurs for approximately one hour every week in November.

For around 60 minutes, including the commercials for the companies that essentially allow this annual context test to the intelligence of the common sports fan to continue, the Disney Corporation and its subsidiary, ESPN, produce and broadcast a television show designed look like news.

Welcome to the Tuesday night ‘College Football Playoffs Rankings Show’ where host Rece Davis and analyst Kirk Herbstreit and their annual revolving door of merry men of analysts spend 60 minutes in the middle of November trying to convince you, the loyal viewer who is so clearly addicted to American tackle football, that the short Zoom call all of these 12 committee members had is the most important thing that will ever happen for the next several days until we get to a weekend of games making what we’ve just dissected for the last three days severely irrelevant.

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

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 8, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It was, in head coach Shauna Green’s words, one of the harder basketball games to watch, but it was a game that helped prepare the Illinois women’s basketball team for a season in a multitude of ways.

If you weren’t able to catch Tuesday night’s game because it was on Big Ten Plus, or you just had other plans, you may be wondering why a 91-67 season-opening win over Southeast Missouri State may have been hard to watch. Tracing your finger down to the team’s row in the box score for the personal fouls column will tell you why: the officiating crew called 58 personal fouls across 40 minutes of game time.

“It was tough to watch for everyone, I think, but it is what it is,” Green said

Illinois All-Big Ten center Tomislav Ivisic’s future status is […]

By IlliniGuys Staff November 7, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]