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Mike Linehan is the third assistant coach from Bobby […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

March 2, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois secured an important piece of its 2027 recruiting class last July when West Valley City, Utah, quarterback Kamden Lopati gave an early commitment to the Illini. Months later, that pledge still stands, but the four-star signal caller has become a national recruiting priority as several powerhouse programs continue to pursue him.

Lopati committed early in the process, citing fit and trust in the Illinois staff. Even as other programs have intensified contact with him, his message about Illinois has remained consistent; he's committed.

"I'm grateful to all of the other schools for recruiting me; there was nothing wrong with them, I just felt that Illinois was a perfect fit for me and my family." He told IlliniGuys previously.

Illinois head coach Shauna Green believes her team is simply being outexecuted and coming up with poor overall efforts in the first 20 minutes of games leading to six losses in the last 10 games.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

March 2, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — As her team enters postseason play having stumbled in six of its last 10 games, Shauna Green sounds like a coach who is done trying to find excuses for her players lack of execution.

Another sleepy first-half effort saw another double-digit deficit before halftime leading to another loss where Green leaves a locker room full of players knowing Sunday afternoon could have been a win.

The 78-73 loss to No. 22 Minnesota put Illinois in a game on the first day of the Big Ten Conference Tournament for the first time since Green took over the Illini program and was the seventh time this season Illinois found itself in a huge deficit before the 20-minute break.

“Play hard,” Green said on her WDWS post-game radio interview when Illini play-by-play broadcaster Mike Koon asked what led to the second-half comeback. “I don't know why we didn't do that when we came out today. You need to play with 40 minutes of effort to beat anybody in this league and we had about 15 minutes of playing like who we need to be today.”

One more effort like that and Illinois (19-10, 9-9 in Big Ten) could be sweating out whether they are selected for the NCAA Tournament in a few weeks. And even if Illinois hears its name called in the NCAA selection process, two more opening efforts like the one on Sunday that saw Minnesota get 30 of its 36 first-half points in the paint and the Illini’s 2025-26 campaign is likely over.

March 2, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

It's like an hours-long car ride to your favorite destination.  You suddenly look up and realize...

March is here!

On a journey that began back in October, we've reached the month when every college basketball season will come to an end, with four exceptions.

It comes on the heels of a nine-day stretch when the Associated Press top ten lost a combined 10 games, leaving the top two seed lines of most NCAA tournament projections largely unscathed.

Illinois began that period as a projected 2-seed with a shot at the Big Ten regular season title. But after a crazy effort that saw a 23-point lead evaporate at UCLA and then a bruising double-digit loss Friday night to arguably the best team in the nation, the latter is gone while the former remains.

The next two weeks are pretty simple for Brad Underwood's Illini:

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) March 1, 2026 CHAMPAIGN, […]

Illinois got down as many as 15 points in […]

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

March 1, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Clark/IlliniGuys)

The Illini fell to Michigan 84-70 at the State Farm Center on Friday night, and the Wolverines showed why they are one of the 3 favorites to win the title on April 6th in Indianapolis, while the Illini showed why matchups are going to be very important to their success in March.

Here is what we learned about the Illini and Michigan in this one.

*Illinois likes to hunt matchups, and they did that against Michigan. The problem is that they have a hard time finding mismatches due to the versatility of the Michigan lineup. The Wolverines have more strength and athleticism, and they have the length to match up with Illinois and contest shots as well. The good news is that there are not many, maybe only 3 or 4 teams, that have the size and athleticism to do that.

*That doesn’t mean that Illinois can’t beat Michigan, but it means they are going to beat them consistently. You hope the one time will be in the Final Four. See 1989.

*Despite that, Illinois still got good looks.

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

February 28, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy MaxPreps)

The second of Illinois' late wide receiver additions was Jacob Harvey of Mt. Zion. Illinois had kept in contact with Harvey through the recruiting process and encouraged him to wait on a committable offer and he had been patient until he finally committed to Illinois State as a safety net. However, that commitment lasted exactly one day, as Harvey finally got an offer from the Illini the next day and flipped. Harvey has good size at 6'2 and 195 pounds and good speed as well with a documented 7.57 60 meter and 11.19 100 meter dash from his sophomore year track season, yet despite his tremendous production he had no reported offers from FBS schools (more on that later).

What does he bring to the Orange and Blue?

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

February 28, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy player's X page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – As recruiting for the class of 2027 begins to take shape across the country, the University of Illinois has turned its attention to Texas linebacker Anthony James, a fast-rising prospect who already has drawn significant Power Four interest. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound defender from La Marque, Texas, holds an Illinois offer and has scheduled an official campus visit for June 12-14. The Illini are showing strong interest in the Lone Star State's emerging defensive player.

IlliniGuys recently spoke with James about his relationship with Illinois and where the program stands in his early recruitment. According to James, Illinois linebackers coach Archie McDaniel and director of defensive player personnel Terry Hawthorne have built a strong rapport with him, especially after making a visit to see him.

"I'm excited to go see the campus.

What was supposed to be sweet revenge toward Morez Johnson Jr. for everybody associated with the Illini program instead became a reality check for everybody on the home sideline.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 28, 2026

CHAMPAIGN — On a night where nearly everybody inside State Farm Center wanted to create a nightmare scenario for Morez Johnson Jr., the former Illini forward led the charge toward a dream for Michigan’s front court.

From the moment he was introduced as a starter in pre-game to when he contributed 13 points, four offensive rebounds and four free throws, Johnson’s former head coach Brad Underwood had no choice but acknowledge his former signee and player was simply at another level.

“I love Morez to death. That’s the new world. He left (Illinois) for the reasons he did and you’d have to ask him why but he’s a terrific young man,” Underwood said. “He’s a next level type of player and he showed that tonight.”

By IlliniGuys Staff February 27, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy […]

Former Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer discussed at the NFL Scouting Combine how he’s preparing to begin his professional life for a role he’s never experienced in training camp - a backup.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

February 27, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Matt Stevens/IlliniGuys)

INDIANAPOLIS — Since he began playing on his first tackle football team at seven years old, Luke Altmyer has only been familiar with starting a season in one role - QB1.

So, for 14 of 15 years of his football life, it’s accurate to suggest Altmyer has walked into every training camp scenario with the idea and understanding that he would be the starter. Therefore, the interesting element the Mississippi native discussed Friday in his seven-minute media session at the National Football League Scouting Combine would be his mental approach to the very different role of opening his rookie season this summer as a backup quarterback on a professional team’s depth chart.

“I tell people now that whether I’m mopping floors, cooking food or being a Super Bowl winning quarterback, my job is to figure out a way to be the best I can be,” Altmyer said.

Altmyer, who ended his three-year tenure with the Illini as one of the most accomplished quarterbacks in program history and a two-time All-Big Ten Conference selection, said Friday he’s already spoken with NFL veteran quarterback Phillip Rivers about how the 23-year-old can provide immediate value to whatever team selects him this April.

“Obviously I want to play. I’m looking forward to playing. I know I can play and I know I can win. I’ve done that,” Altmyer said. “Regardless of where I’m at to begin with, I’ll be given a job and then it’s on me to do that job the best I can. Whether I’m doing the backup thing or running the show, I’ll need to somehow use the gifts I’ve been given.”

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys InsiderAnalyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular

February 27, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

It is the next ‘biggest game of the year’ for the Illini as they host the #3 Michigan Wolverines in a showdown of the top 2 teams in the Big Ten standings on Friday night. The Wolverines and Illini both stubbed their toes last weekend and are looking to solidify their NCAA and Big Ten Tournament seeds. The Wolverines will clinch the Big Ten title outright with a win, and Illinois can put themselves in a great position for a 2 seed in the NCAA tournament and a 2 seed and triple bye in the Big Ten tournament.

Here’s a look at the matchup.

Setting the Stage
#10 Illinois (22-6, 13-4 B1G) vs. #3 Michigan (26-2, 16-1 B1G)
Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 // 7 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
TV: FOX – Jason Benetti (Play-by-Play) & Bill Raftery (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play) & Deon Thomas

Notable
*No. 10 Illinois opens a two-game homestand on Friday night with a Top-10 matchup against No. 3 Michigan. Illinois carries a nine-game winning streak vs. Michigan (began Dec. 11, 2019), including four straight at home.

*In facing No. 3 Michigan, Illinois is looking for its highest-ranked win since beating No. 2 Texas on Dec. 6, 2022, its highest-ranked Big Ten win since a 76-53 rout at No. 2 Michigan on March 2, 2021, and its highest-ranked home win since upsetting No. 1 Indiana on Feb. 7, 2013 on a Tyler Griffey layup at the buzzer.

*Illinois has defeated two Top-5 teams entering the game against No. 3 Michigan, with wins at No. 4 Purdue and at No. 5 Nebraska. The school record for Top-5 wins in a season is three, set by the 1951-52 Illini squad.

*Friday will mark the first game in 20 years at State Farm Center with both teams ranked in the Top 10, since No. 6 Illinois beat No. 7 Michigan State on Jan. 5, 2006, behind Dee Brown's career-high 34 points.

Illinois couldn’t finish off a six-point, fourth-quarter lead for […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

February 26, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

As I write this, Aaron Henry has packed his bags for South Bend and Illinois is changing its defensive scheme under new defensive coordinator Bobby Hauck. One thing that's clear is that Illinois is looking at a rather bare cupboard in terms of linebackers. James Kreutz returns for his senior year and will be a starter and Joe Barna will be back as well, but after them you have to go all the way down to Grant Beerman and his 15 snaps to find the next most experienced linebacker. Let's try to make some sense of this!

Newcomers
Illinois added two linebackers in the portal and I think we'll see some productivity right away from both of them. The first new linebacker on board was Robert Edmonson of Colorado State, who will be a junior this year. Edmonson started the season deep on the depth chart for Colorado State but ended up with 335 snaps in Colorado's new 3-3-5 defensive scheme.