Featured

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

November 22, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

The Illini are back in the friendly confines for a tune up against Long Island on Saturday after their tough loss to Alabama in Chicago. The Illini are a big favorite in this one against the Sharks and head coach Rod Strickland, so this is more a ‘get right’ game.

Setting the Stage
#8 Illinois (4-1) vs. Long Island (3-2)
Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025 // 1 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
Stream: B1G+ – Andrew Burkey (Play-by-Play), Justin St. Louis (Analyst), & Mazie Gierat Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Scott Beatty (Play-By-Play), Doug Altenberger

Notable
*Saturday’s contest is also the second game of stretch of five games in 17 days across four cities that includes a trio of marquee nonconference matchups vs. Top 25 opponents. Following the Illini’s game vs. #11 Alabama Wednesday, which drew 17,775 fans to the United Center in Chicago, the team hosts LIU and UT Rio Grande Valley at home before facing #3 UConn at Madison Square Garden in New York on Nov. 28 and concluding the gauntlet on Dec. 6 vs. #20 Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville.

*Illinois carries a six-game home winning streak into Saturday’s game vs. LIU. Under head coach Brad Underwood, the Illini have won 33 consecutive nonconference home games against unranked opponents.

*Through five games, Illinois leads the Big Ten in rebound margin (+17.8 rpg) and total rebounds per game (47.0), ranking fourth and 10th, respectively, in the NCAA. Illinois also ranks second in the conference in scoring offense (95.4 ppg), 3-point attempts per game (31.8), 3-point percentage defense (.286).

November 22, 2025 The Illini face a Wisconsin Badger […]

Through two wins in November, Illinois is third in the Big Ten Conference this month in rushing offense at 217.5 yards per game.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 21, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It’s become almost an annual trend that as the weather turns colder and the calendar flips to November, Illinois will suddenly find success in the run game.

In a 2024 season where Illinois finished just ninth in a 18-team Big Ten Conference and 88th in the 136-team Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing offense, the Illini finished fifth in the league in its ground attack during its four games in November.

Illinois (7-3, 4-3 in Big Ten Conference) has just completed back-to-back games with at least 200 rushing yards, for only the second time in the 60-game tenure of Bret Bielema running the operation in Champaign-Urbana.

The solution, according to the Illini’s fifth-year head coach is about as simple as it gets.

“Without a doubt, it’s the play of the offensive line,” Bielema said on Monday. “I don’t mean to get overly simplistic with everybody here but it’s not a coincidence that when that group plays well, we play well as a whole team.”

By Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 21, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy player's Hudl page)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois continues to identify its future at the most important position on the field, and one early name near the top of the board is Hunter Hochbaum, a 6-foot-1, 170-pound dual-threat quarterback from Mater Dei Catholic High School in Breese, Illinois. A member of the class of 2028, Hochbaum has already drawn interest from several college programs and has begun making visits as his recruitment gains momentum.

Hochbaum recently visited Illinois for the Maryland game and said the experience made a strong impression on him. “They treated me great. Coach Pat Ryan is a great guy to get in contact with. I felt welcomed when I arrived, and the environment was awesome. I’ve grown up watching Big Ten football, and Illinois is a great representation of the hype the Big Ten conference has,” he said.

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

November 20, 2025

The Illini fell to #11 Alabama 90-86 on Wednesday night despite 22 points and 7 assists from Kylan Boswell and 26 points from Andrej Stojakovic. Alabama scored on every possession in the final 3 minutes, and the Tide took advantage of the Illini free throw woes to get a huge bounce back win behind Labaron Philon and his 24 points and 5 assists.

Here’s a look at what we saw:

These 3 Things

Freshmen Looked Like Freshmen 

By Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 20, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Kedric Prince/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois put together a good 2026 recruiting class with the official signing now complete, headlined by four-star guard Lucas Morillo of New Rochelle, New York. The 6-foot-7, 215-pound standout from The Newman School becomes the highest-ranked recruit in the Illini’s class and one of the most coveted guards in the country.

Morillo joins a pair of Midwest recruits in guard Ethan Brown of Rolla, Missouri, and forward Landon Davis of Waukee, Iowa. Together, the trio gives Illinois a blend of size, versatility, and long-term developmental upside that positions the program well for future success.

Nobody at Illinois hired Bret Bielema to win pretty, high-scoring blowouts in November and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 20, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The first words out of Bret Bielema’s mouth after a 24-6 victory in conference play was the performance wasn’t clean.

Of course, it wasn’t. Because sometimes when the calendar flips to November and Bret Bielema is your head coach, you just have to get in the mud and get a little dirty to feel a lot of satisfaction in the Big Ten Conference. Nobody knows more about dirty wins than Mr. Bielema himself. Winning games like this is why he was hired to Champaign-Urbana.

“What (Bielema) is building and what this team is building is just an awesome thing to be a part of. The gratitude to have a little small piece in that,” said Illinois linebacker Dylan Rosiek, who is playing with an undisclosed injury that Bielema will only say Rosiek will need offseason surgery to fully repair. “I was just walking around, looking at the lights and everything. It was just like, what a tremendous opportunity that I've been blessed to be a part of. Coming into the program, where it was, and even just the atmosphere today, when you showed up in 2022, that was not what you got.”

By Illini Guys Staff November 19, 2025 (Cover photo […]

IlliniGuys.com uses a short film review this week to show how Illinois offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. is using Hank Beatty as a decoy.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 19, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Hank Beatty led all Illinois receivers in targets, receptions and play snaps in the 24-6 win over Maryland. However, it is the plays where the fourth-year leader didn’t touch the football where Illini offensive coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. and third-year starting quarterback Luke Altmyer both learned more about the Terrapins defensive plan on Saturday.

After leading 14-6 through 30 minutes of play, Illinois could’ve come out of the halftime locker room and force-fed the football to its leading receiver throughout the 2025 season. Instead of doing that and potentially falling into another turnover or more, Lunney used his creativity as a play-caller and play installer to use the 5-foot-11, 185-pound receiver as a decoy to encode what defensive front and coverage Maryland was using in the second half.

The result was Hudson Clement having a career day on Saturday and Illinois (7-3, 4-3 in Big Ten Conference) being able to use its most prolific receiver as what Lunney called on Monday “eye candy”.

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

November 19, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Joe Pickrell/IlliniGuys)

It’s another big game for the Illini as they continue their difficult non-conference slate with a stiff test at the United Center in Chicago on Wednesday night. The 11th ranked Alabama Crimson Tide continue their own gauntlet of a schedule after falling at home to Purdue last week and before they play Gonzaga.

Illinois is hoping to have the services of star big man Tomislav Ivisic in this one as he recovers from a lower leg injury and should have Mihailo Petrovic back to add guard depth.

Here’s a look at the particulars.

Setting the Stage
#8 Illinois (4-0) vs. #11 Alabama (2-1)
Wednesday, Nov. 19, 2025 // 8 p.m. CT // Chicago, Ill. // United Center
TV: FS1 – Kevin Kugler (Play-by-Play) & Steve Smith (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

Illinois first-year point guard Destiny Jackson has found a way to overachieve in her first month of college basketball.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 19, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Even Shauna Green, who fully admits to not being warm and cuddly to her point guards, can’t stay mad at her newest first-year floor leader.

Freshmen Destiny Jackson has taken the teaching, yelling, encouragement and everything else that goes into being a lead guard and in a matter of months has surprised many, including maybe even herself, with her seamless transition to college basketball.

Jackson, the 2025 Illinois Gatorade Player of the Year along with being the 2025 Ms. Basketball selection and a 2025 McDonald's All America selection, poured in a career-high 18 points with five assists and four rebounds in a 84-64 victory over Murray State in front of 14,631 fans on ‘Field Trip Day’ inside State Farm Center.

After losing veteran guards to a two-time NCAA Tournament participant and a WBIT championship program, Green knew her fourth year as the Illini head coach might test her admittedly low levels of patience for mistakes with a brand-new roster highlighted by a eager and super talented but inexperienced point guard. Through four games, wich has even included a difficult 64-59 loss at Oregon State last weekend, Jackson continues to learn quickly but Tuesday proved her instincts when she doesn’t know everything to do can still be remarkable.

The Illinois head coach is bringing a ‘been there, […]

By Steve Sturm - IlliniGuys Football Analyst

November 18, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

Illinois won a second straight workmanlike game on Saturday with a 24-6 win over a struggling Maryland team. It wasn't sexy. And it didn't create any highlights that you'll remember forever, but it was a solid win over a Maryland team that wasn't to be trifled with. Illinois held a dangerous Maryland offense to six points and 293 yards, which is 20 points and 50 yards under Maryland's averages. To me the defense was the star of the show, but since I'm limited to highlights that are in the public domain, I can't give you the play by play excellence that Illinois showed today. However, this 4th down play late in the game was pretty representative of the great work that Aaron Henry and his crew turned in today.

Maryland quarterback Malik Washington was a top 50 prospect last year and the 5th rated QB in the nation. And, despite what you might conclude after watching him today, he's had a very good freshman year in the Big Ten. However, Illinois kept him in the pocket and didn't let him get anything easy all day, and when Washington has to stay still and fit his throws into tight windows, he fails. Illinois keeps it simple on this play. They only rush three and keep their defenders in the middle of the field to clog the passing lanes. Washington could have handled the situation better rather than rushing the throw, but that's exactly what Illinois is banking on with this defense. This play was a microcosm of the day. Excellent work by the Illini defense.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 18, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. —During Illinois’ most recent bye week on Nov. 8, the staff hit the recruiting trail hard. That effort paid off today as the Illini received a commitment from offensive lineman Alfred Washington, a 6-foot-5, 290-pound product of Pensacola, Florida and Northeast Mississippi Community College.

Washington represents an important step toward reshaping the Illini offensive line next season. Rather than relying solely on freshmen or dipping heavily into the transfer portal, head coach Bret Bielema has continued to emphasize the value of the junior college ranks, a route he has used successfully throughout his career.

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