Featured

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 5th, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Anoke Deitg-Blanchard)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Expectations are once again soaring for the Illinois men’s basketball program, as the Illini enter the upcoming season positioned among the nation’s elite. According to CBS Sports college basketball insider Jon Rothstein, Illinois is ranked No. 2 in the country in the preseason, trailing only Florida, reinforcing the belief that Brad Underwood’s program remains firmly in the national spotlight.

The 2025-26 season featured several standout players, headlined by freshman Keaton Wagler, who emerged as an All-American and is set to have his jersey hung in the rafters at State Farm Center next year.

As Illinois turns the page to the 2026-27 season, the spotlight shifts once again to a talented incoming freshman class.

Tom Michael is leaving his athletics director position at […]

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

May 5, 2026

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – One of the key members of the 2027 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball recruiting class is taking a different route before arriving on campus. Quinton Kitt confirmed to IlliniGuys on Monday night that he plans to attend prep school next year as part of his long-term development.

Kitt, a 6-foot-6, 205-pound power forward from East Peoria, Illinois, committed to Illinois last November. The three-star wing is off to a strong start on the AAU circuit, continuing to build momentum against high-level competition.

Illinois softball head coach Tyra Perry has been terminated […]

By IlliniGuys Staff

May 4, 2026

As the semester winds to a close and we turn the calendar from the most successful end to an Illini basketball season in more than two decades, IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst Brad Sturdy delivered the latest update earlier today on our premium message boards:

---Illinois is basically on Stoj watch right now. Obviously, he has a fantastic NIL package ready to go with Illinois, but

For the second straight season, Illinois men’s golf finishes […]

Illinois men’s golf suffer a 17-shot swing in a 24-hour period to go from a two-shot lead to a 15-shot deficit from round one to two of 2026 Big Ten Championshios. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 2, 2026

Illinois will need a historic comeback to bring home the 2026 Big Ten Championship trophy from Oregon on Sunday. 

Illinois second-year player Freddie Turnell is tied for the lead after the first round of the 2026 Big Ten Championships following a win at the Hoosier Collegiate in Indiana last week.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

May 2, 2025

If Friday was going to be Freddie Turnell’s most challenging 18 holes in his current collegiate golf career, he can certainly consider that test passed with flying colors. 

Illinois finished the first day of the 2026 Big […]

Illinois head coach Bret Bielema speculated Friday that the Illini’s 2027 high school recruiting class would be a smaller number around “12 to 18” signees.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Anlayst

May 1, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN — The upcoming Illinois 2027 football recruiting class might be the smallest in numbers of the six-year tenure of Bret Bielema era.

In a Zoom media conference with local reporters on Friday afternoon, Bielema indicated that a variety of factors could result in Illinois coaching staff anticipating needing just a small amount of roster spots.

“I would bet we end up anywhere between 12 to 18 (signees), which is still kind of big for some schools but a small class for us,” Bielema said.

Illinois currently only has only one verbal pledge in the 2027 recruiting class - three-star cornerback Justin Johnson from Evanston (Ill.) Township High School - while certain assistant coaches and staff members are currently away from the Smith Center making their off-campus recruiting school visits.

(From Illinois Sports Information Office) April 30, 2026   […]

Illinois third-year star Max Herendeen has seen his game plateau into possibly his first prolonged slump of his golf career before picking up a victory about a month ago.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 30, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

URBANA — When Max Herendeen committed to play attend and play golf with Illinois nearly four years ago, his head coach instantly believed two things about his newest sensation.

The first was Herendeen may be the most gifted player to come through a program where Mike Small has produced two NCAA individual champions, nine Big Ten Conference individual champions, multiple PGA Tour winners, multiple Olympians and a Ryder Cup participant.

The second and maybe more important element to Herendeen that Small knew instantly is Herendeen’s best friend and worst enemy would be his own level of self confidence.

“He had a pretty blessed first two years here. Not a lot of anxiety, not a lot of ups and downs,” Small said of Herendeen. “How you handle the lows is really important so I would say there is a lot of good in what Max has been going through this season.”

For the second straight season and eighth time in […]

By IlliniGuys Staff

April 29, 2026

It was the icing on the cake for Illinois men's basketball during Final Four week.

A program that has been clawing for the past decade and a half to reclaim relevance on the national scene had finally made it; a season of high expectations dampened by late-game failures in close situations had broken through with four straight double-digit wins to reach college basketball's final weekend for the first time in 21 years.

With the nation's attention firmly set on them, the announcement came just moments before the Illini took the court for their late Friday morning shootaround in front of some 17,000 diehard, orange-clad fans at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Top 2026 prospect Quentin Coleman has committed to Illinois.

The timing couldn't have been better as national sportswriters and reporters wrote and posted about it in almost real-time and applauded the level Illinois had reached; ninth-year coach Brad Underwood having built a program from its worst NCAA tournament drought in 40 years to one recruiting at the highest level as they took aim at their best shot at a national championship in almost a generation.

IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst Kedric Prince put in perspective almost immediately. "Illinois feels he’s as good as there is in the country and would stack his game up with some of the other top playmakers", Prince wrote in his announcement follow-up story that weekend.

Illinois enters the Big Ten Championships this week in Oregon as the top seed but somewhat battling a high standard built their own history of dominance within the league.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

April 28, 2026

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

URBANA — At 60 years old and in his 26th season in charge of the Illinois men’s golf program, Mike Small is at the point every coach strives for and then is immediately frightened when they get there.

After having led Illinois to the NCAA Championships in 16 of the last 17 years and 18 times overall in the last 25 years (no championship was held in 2020) and seeing the Illini to 13 conference team titles since 2009, Small’s program is the dominant favorite in this week’s Big Ten Championships once again.

“I think the history of this program and how we’ve almost dominated the conference for the better part of a decade and a half goes without saying on our team because our guys know it from the recruiting process because that’s why they came here,” Small said to local reporters on Tuesday. “I do think there’s some stress involved with that to be honest with you because they feel like they have to uphold their end of the bargain.”