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Heat Checks & Hail Marys - Pivotal Victory Over Iowa

Heat Checks & Hail Marys - Pivotal Victory Over Iowa

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

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‘We need wins’ - Shauna Green’s Illini Trying to Knock Off No. 4 Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye

‘We need wins’ - Shauna Green’s Illini Trying to Knock Off No. 4 Iowa in Carver-Hawkeye

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Moretti Goes from Underwood’s Motivational Prop to Key Closeout Contributor

Moretti Goes from Underwood’s Motivational Prop to Key Closeout Contributor

Illinois redshirt freshman guard Niccolo Moretti was part of a five-player substitution by an angry Brad Underwood with 18 minutes to go but would only leave the floor again for 48 seconds.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — Niccolo Moretti went from being used as a motivational prop to being a motivational hero in just 19 minutes of action Saturday. 

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Illini Take Offensive Slugfest Over Iowa 95-85

Illini Take Offensive Slugfest Over Iowa 95-85

Illinois got enough defensive stops to survive a test from an offensively confident Iowa squad to get to its 20th win of the 2023-24 season. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — In a matchup of the two of the league’s best scoring teams, Illinois won an offensive slugfest in State Farm Center. 

The Illini dispatched an upset-minded Iowa squad 95-85 in a game where the home team shot nearly 50 percent from the field to negate the idea that they gave up over 80 points for the fifth time this month.

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Sturdy's Illini Basketball Preview - Shootout versus Iowa at the State Farm Center

Sturdy's Illini Basketball Preview - Shootout versus Iowa at the State Farm Center

Brad Sturdy, Illini Uber-Insider & Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular and Big Sports Radio

February 24, 2024

Iowa and Illinois are two of the highest scoring and best offensive teams in the country. They are also two teams that are struggling mightily on the defensive end of the floor. The ?Hawkeyes are trying to get a scalp for their NCAA tournament hopes, while the Illini are hoping to slide up a line in NCAA bracketology. It’s the annual orange out game for the Illini, so the place should be rocking.

Setting the Stage

#12 Illinois (19-7, 10-5 B1G) vs. Iowa (16-11, 8-8 B1G) 

Feb. 24, 2024 // 1:15 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center 

TV: BTN – Connor Onion (Play-by-Play), Robbie Hummel (Analyst) 

Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas 

Illini Notables

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Pay-For-Play is Legal: Federal Judge Issues Injunction on NCAA Rules Enforcement Regarding NIL Issues

Pay-For-Play is Legal: Federal Judge Issues Injunction on NCAA Rules Enforcement Regarding NIL Issues

A federal judge ruling in Tennessee issuing an injunction prohibiting the NCAA from enforcing its regulations on using name, image and likeness payment inducements in recruiting fully opens pay-for-play activities across the nation.

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 24, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — During his end-of-season media conference on November 30, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said he believed the recent news surrounding name, image and likeness issues in college athletics and specifically his sport of college football would “lead to something breaking” involving legislation on the matter.

The third-year Illini football coach likely had no idea he would be this fundamentally correct and philosophically incorrect at the same time. What Bielema, and several other people inside college athletics, was hoping for was federal legislation leading to further restrictions on NIL inducements being used in player acquisition and, therefore, providing a more even platform across the nation. What happened was the opposite after a federal judge issued a ban on the NCAA being able to enforce any rules or regulations regarding NIL inducements in recruiting.

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“If they can’t, I do” Illini Experience Brutal ‘Brad Underwood practice’ After Upset Loss at Penn State

“If they can’t, I do” Illini Experience Brutal ‘Brad Underwood practice’ After Upset Loss at Penn State

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood put his team through a brutal and physical two-hour practice session following another disappointing defensive effort at Penn State. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 23, 2024

CHAMPAIGN — Luke Goode has been on this roster long enough to know what it meant when he arrived at the Ubben Basketball Facility for practice Thursday without being sent a practice plan yet.

The junior forward understood this set of events meant he and his teammates were in for a mentally awakening and physical tasking two-hour session. 

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The Farrell Files - Overall B1G Recruiting and Joe Barna Evaluation

The Farrell Files - Overall B1G Recruiting and Joe Barna Evaluation

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys & Big Sports Radio National Football Recruiting Expert

February 23, 2024

(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll take a quick look at where the Illini stand overall 2025 Big Ten recruiting, the PANIC factor at positions starting with QB and I’ll look at 2024 DE signee Joe Barna in four key categories.

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The Farrell Files Illinois - Huge Unofficial Visit Coming & Demetrius John Evaluation

The Farrell Files Illinois - Huge Unofficial Visit Coming & Demetrius John Evaluation

Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys & Big Sports Radio National Football Recruiting Expert

February 22, 2024

(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)

In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll look at a huge unofficial visit coming soon and continue the 2024 breakdown with a look at DE Demetrius John in four key categories.

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Sturdy's Basketball Rewind - Collapse

Sturdy's Basketball Rewind - Collapse

Brad Sturdy, Illini Uber-Insider & Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio

February 22, 2024

The Fighting Illini led by as many as 14 points in the second half, by 10 with 2:30 to play and by 7 in the final minute. And yet they came away from Happy Valley with a 90-89 loss to Penn State, their 4th consecutive loss to the Nittany Lions and dashed their Big Ten title hopes. It’s another collapse late in the game, following the Michigan State and Nebraska games. 

At some point this team needs to figure it out. 

Deep Thoughts

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‘It’s a wrong mentality’: Underwood Buries Illini Players After Meltdown Loss at Penn State

‘It’s a wrong mentality’: Underwood Buries Illini Players After Meltdown Loss at Penn State

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood calls out players for defensive mental errors, blown assignments and fundamental lack of detail in a 90-89 loss at Penn State. 

Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer

February 22, 2024

The head men’s basketball coach at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is clearly at the blunt honesty stage with his veteran players following a monumental collapse at Penn State. 

In the post-game media conference after a devastating and confusing 90-89 loss inside Recreation Hall on the Pennsylvania State University campus where No. 12 Illinois gave up the game’s last eight points and was outscored 12-2 over the final minute and 50 seconds, Brad Underwood felt the need to call out players for what he called “blown assignment”, “a lack of attention to detail”, “silly mistakes” and a “wrong mentality” about disregarding the defensive end of the floor. 

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Another Massive Late-Game Collapse Allows Lions To Steal Victory From #12 Illini

Another Massive Late-Game Collapse Allows Lions To Steal Victory From #12 Illini

By IlliniGuys Staff February 21, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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Sturdy's Illini Basketball Preview - at Penn State

Sturdy's Illini Basketball Preview - at Penn State

Brad Sturdy, Co-Host IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio and Illini Uber-Insider

February 21, 2024

The Illini are in Happy Valley Wednesday night to take on their nemesis from a year ago, the Penn State Nittany Lions. PSU beat Illinois 3 times a year ago, although many of those players are gone and there is a new coach in town in Mike Rhoades, it’s definitely a game that should have some revenge motives for the Fighting Illini. 

The Nittany Lions return to their roots Wednesday night when Penn State hosts #12 Illinois in its Return to Rec game. Rec Hall was the longtime home of Nittany Lion basketball until a 1996 move to the Bryce Jordan Center. Rec Hall had a final listed capacity of 6,846 for basketball, but more than 8,000 fans jammed into the iconic building for a basketball game six times in the building’s history, including a record 8,600 fans for a contest vs. Virginia on Dec. 5, 1973.

Expect a packed and raucous crowd on Wednesday evening. 

Setting the Stage

#12AP/12 Illinois (19-6, 10-4 B1G) at Penn State (12-14, 6-9 B1G) 

February 21, 2024 // 5:30 p.m. CT (6:30 p.m. ET) // University Park, Pa. // Rec Hall 

TV: BTN – Jason Horowitz (Play-by-Play), Stephen Bardo (Analyst) 

Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas 

Notables

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Illini Recruiting Strategies Changing with the Landscape

Illini Recruiting Strategies Changing with the Landscape

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

February 21, 2024

The Fighting Illini football program is transforming, adapting to the evolving landscape of college football with the recent addition of West Coast schools to the Big Ten conference. This expansion means that the Illini will need to target higher-profile prospects to remain competitive in the star-studded world of college football recruiting.

Head Coach Bret Bielema has built a reputation for finding and developing talent, molding players into All-Big Ten performers. However, with the shift in the conference dynamics, the emphasis on recruiting top-tier prospects becomes even more critical for the Fighting Illini.

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Ked's Recruiting Roundup - Destiny Jackson

Ked's Recruiting Roundup - Destiny Jackson

Tim Anderson's Crucial Role in Recruiting Could Help Women Land Recruit

Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting

February 20, 2024

In college basketball recruiting, the right connections and relationships can make all the difference. Destiny Jackson, a 5-foot-6, four-star recruit from Whitney Young High School in Chicago, holds the title of the number one high school recruit in the state of Illinois for the Class of 2025.

Recently visiting the Illinois women's basketball program could be a game-changer in her recruitment, and a familiar face might just be the key.

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