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By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer November 18, […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 17, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois men’s basketball program finds itself stepping into the national spotlight this season, and while new faces on the roster have brought excitement, the engine behind the early success is a familiar one. Senior guard Kylan Boswell, now in his second season with the Illini, has become the heartbeat of a team determined to turn last year's ending into one of the program’s most complete seasons under head coach Brad Underwood.

For longtime followers of Illinois basketball, Boswell’s rise was not delivered on a straight line. Coming out of Arizona Compass Prep, he was considered one of the most competitive and highly targeted recruits.

Assistant coach Geoff Alexander led the process from start to finish, making repeated trips to Arizona and building the kind of connection that Illinois hoped would pay off down the road.

Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular Cover photo Joe Pickrell, […]

Illinois produces a mature performance in a 18-point home win over a reeling Maryland squad.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 16, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Yeah, Illinois made a lot of mistakes on Saturday as a 16-point favorite at home. The first words out of Illini fifth-year head coach Bret Bielema was the game was “not clean” and he was very disappointed in their first-half execution (a first half that saw them with a 14-6 lead mind you) but this 24-6 result against a reeling Maryland squad was exactly the calling card of a Bielema operation in the month of November.

“I just thought we needed to have a good 1-0 November mentality to this game,” Bielema said. “Of course, we didn’t play clean in that first half but I really love the way our guys responded in that last 30 minutes…Super excited to be a 7-3 football team.”

(From Illinois Sports Information Office)   MEMPHIS, Tenn. – [10] […]

By Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. —Illinois added another key piece to its future backcourt with the signing of guard Ethan Brown, a 6-foot-4, 185-pound standout from Rolla, Missouri. Brown signed his Big Ten Athletics Scholarship Agreement and will join the Fighting Illini as a freshman for the 2026-27 season.

Brown stars at Rolla High School, where he plays under head coach Mark Miller. A two-time all-state selection, he enters his senior year as the top scorer in program history and is on the verge of reaching 2,000 career points.

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

November 15, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

The Illini beat Colgate 84-65 behind an incredible 27 point and 21 rebound performance from Freshman Forward David Mirkovic as they moved to 4-0 heading into a showdown against Alabama at the United Center next week. Keaton Wagler added 19 points and 6 rebounds, while Kylan Boswell had 11 and Ben Humrichous 10.

The Iliini dominated the glass 49-29 and had 22 second chance points on 19 offensive rebounds to offset a cold shooting night. The Illini shot just 37.7% from the floor and 29.7% from 3, scoring 1.292 PPP on the back of the offensive rebounding.

Here’s a look at what we saw.

These 3 Things

Freshmen Leading - On a night when the veterans were mediocre at best,

For the first time in program history, Illinois found a victory over Maryland inside Gies Memorial Stadium for its seventh victory of the 2025 season. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A methodical offensive approach and a solid defensive effort allowed Illinois to cruise past Maryland 24-6 on Saturday for the first time in school inside Gies Memorial Stadium. 

By Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 15, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois hosts Maryland on Saturday for a Big Ten matchup at Memorial Stadium, kicking off at 2:30 p.m. CT on FS1 as part of the program’s Military Appreciation Game.

The Illini will welcome a number of visitors for the weekend, including 6-foot-5, 220-pound tight end Sam Dostal of Creighton Prep in Omaha, Nebraska. Dostal, a class of 2027 prospect, continues to draw attention as he works back from an early-career setback.

Dostal confirmed he suffered an ACL injury.

November 15, 2025 The Illini face Maryland at home […]

In its 35-20 loss to Rutgers last weekend, Maryland had 12 of 22 starters listed as a redshirt sophomore or younger.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 15, 2025

MARYLAND at ILLINOIS

Records: Maryland 4-5, 1-5 in Big Ten; Illinois 6-3, 3-3 in Big Ten

Date/Time/Place: Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025: 2:30 p.m. CST, Gies Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Ill.

Surface: FieldTurf

Capacity: 60,670

ODDS: Illinois by 15.5

Series notes: Maryland leads the all-time series 2-1 including a 20-17 win in their lone game playing in Champaign during the 2021 season. In the first matchup between these teams on Oct. 27, 2018, Maryland scored 63 points against the Illini. That stands as their most points scored in any conference game over the last 45 seasons. In the last matchup between the two schools in College Park, Maryland, Luke Altmyer led a fourth-quarter comeback as Caleb Griffin kicked a game-winning field goal as time expired for the 27-24 win.

TV: FS1; Noah Reed (play-by-play), Robert Smith (color analyst)

Radio (Illinois): Brian Barnhart (play-by-play), Carey Davis (analyst), Michael Martin (sideline), and Steve Kelly (pre/half/post). The broadcast can be heard live on TuneIn online radio, SiriusXM 162/196, the SiriusXM App, and at FightingIllini.com/live.
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CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It’s always been right around this point in a season where the first-year players, redshirt freshmen and inexperience in a starting lineup stop becoming a focal point any longer.

Welcome to where Maryland sits in its 2025 season where last week 12 of its 22 starters had less than two seasons worth of starting experience but had been a high contributor in each of its previous eight games. This is when freshmen stop being labeled as such and Maryland head coach Mike Locksley, who brought this Top 20 recruiting class to his native state, knows these younger players must become relied upon for a big win that has yet to reveal itself in 2025.

Illinois connects on just 34 percent of its field […]

By IlliniGuys Staff November 14, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

By Larry Smith - IlliniGuys Co-Founder & Co-Host/Executive Producer, […]

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 14, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In modern-day football, head coaches are beginning to run out of things they can refine. Across the board, players are getting faster and taller. Arms are growing stronger. In the past few decades, special teams coaches have gone to the land down under to find punters who can send spin-filled punts that could make a reliever jealous. On the kicking front? Big legs.

Just earlier this month, Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Cam Little set the record for the longest field goal in NFL history with a 68-yard try. In its search for a big leg, Bret Bielema and his staff brought one to campus a couple of weeks ago for a visit. Kofi Adubufuor, playing for Lakota West High School in Ohio, has been plying his trade as a kicker, and he says he’s got a big leg himself. He’s former high school teammates with current Illini freshman linebacker Grant Beerman and 2026 Illinois commit Cam Thomas, and was on campus for Illinois’ 35-13 win over Rutgers earlier this month and spoke with IlliniGuys.