
14th Ranked Illini Rebound With 97-68 Decimation of Wolverines
By IlliniGuys Staff February 13, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]
14th Ranked Illini Rebound With 97-68 Decimation of Wolverines
By IlliniGuys Staff February 13, 2024 (Cover photo courtesy […]
Heat Checks and Hail Marys – The "Joy" of Coaching
Mike Cagley, Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio Co-Host […]
Ked's Recruiting Roundup - Jason Dowell
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
February 13, 2024
Hailing from East Saint Louis, IL, Jason Dowell is making waves in the football world as a standout 6-4, 275-pound Defensive Line 2025 prospect from Althoff Catholic High School. With an impressive four-star rating, Dowell has become one of the most sought-after recruits in the state of Illinois and nation.
Illinois head coach Bret Bielema is keen on keeping Dowell within the state, recognizing his potential as a game-changer on the defensive line. Dowell has garnered interest from Auburn, Cincinnati, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas State, Kansas, Michigan State, Minnesota, Oregon, Missouri, and USC.
In a recent interview with IlliniGuys,
Sturdy's Illini Basketball Preview - Michigan
Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio Co-Host and Illini Uber-Insider
February 13, 2024
After a rough finish on Saturday the Illini are back in action against Michigan on Tuesday at the State Farm Center. The Illini want to get the bad taste out of their mouth from the final 7 minutes in East Lansing against a struggling Michigan squad. The Wolverines have lost 11 of 13 and since beating Iowa in Iowa City on December 10th they have lost their last 5 road games with the last 3 being by 19+.
It’s a game Illinois should win, and a must win.
Setting the Stage
#14 Illinois (17-6, 8-4 B1G) vs. Michigan (8-16, 3-10 B1G)
Feb. 13, 2024 // 6 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
Stream: Peacock – Noah Eagle (Play-by-Play), Stephen Bardo (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas
‘We’re soft’: Underwood Calls Out Illini’s Defensive Effort
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood had some unpleasant and yet very choice words to describe his team’s mentality following one of the worst defensive efforts in several years last weekend.
Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer
February 13, 2024
CHAMPAIGN — Brad Underwood has broken out the emergency four-letter word about his basketball team - soft.
It took one of the least consistent defensive efforts in several years for the emergency “soft” glass to be broken with just under a month remaining before postseason bids are handed out by the Illini seventh-year head coach. However, there Underwood sat inside the State Farm Center media room Monday afternoon calling his squad one of the most incredulous things his 60-year-old mind could think of following an 88-80 loss at Michigan State on Saturday afternoon.
Sturdy's Prescription for Curing What Ails the Illini
Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio Co-Host & Illini Uber-Insider
February 12, 2024
For 33 minutes it looked like Illinois was set to grab a massive road win at Michigan State. The Illini led 72-64 after a Marcus Domask 3 pointer and then after a Luke Goode blocked shot (it really happened), they got out in transition and Domask hit Harmon for a wide open wing 3 to go up by 11 with 6:47 to play. Ty Rodgers would foul on the rebound and Tyson Walker would make 2 free throws to begin the meltdown.
Illinois would then go to Terrence Shannon for a 3 and then a mid-range jumper which were both misses, while Michigan State would get misses from Walker and Akins to keep it 72-66 with 5:05 to play.
Illini Women’s Hoops Trying to Find Final Month Run in Frustrating 2023-24 Season
In a season marred by high expectations and several deflating injuries, Illinois still has an opportunity to make a postseason bid in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2006-07.
Matt Stevens, IlliniGuys Staff Writer
February 12, 2024
CHAMPAIGN — With her team being one game under .500 through 23 games in a season filled with expectations, Shauna Green is attempting to see the long-term play of her program rebuild.
As we enter the second week of February in her second year at Illinois, Green is trying to balance the frustration of getting this veteran team over the hump of defeating quality basketball teams while also feeling encouraged by the small portions of games that define the characteristics she’s trying to build.
The Farrell Files Illinois - LB Coach Hiring Evaluation
Mike Farrell, IlliniGuys & Big Sports Radio National Football Recruiting Expert
February 12, 2024
(Mike Farrell also has his own website: https://mikefarrellsports.com/)
In this edition of the Farrell Files Illinois, I’ll look at the other big coaching hire, LBs coach Archie McDaniel.
Ked's Recruiting Roundup - Jason Jakstys
Power Forward Jason Jakstys Shines on the Court
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
February 11, 2024
Jason Jakstys is making a significant impact on the high school basketball scene as a 6-foot-10, 205-pound Power Forward for Yorkville High School (HS). As a three-star prospect, has a newfound talent for putting the ball on the floor and applying pressure on opposing defenses.
IlliniGuys recently caught up with Jakstys, who has committed to the University of Illinois, to discuss his ongoing high school season and his thoughts on joining the Illini in Champaign this summer.
Continue Fearing the Turtle: Slow Offensive Start Buries Illini in Home Loss to Maryland
Illinois’ trio of stars (Makira Cook, Genesis Bryant and […]
Prophecy Fulfilled: The Super Bowl Lands in Las Vegas
By Larry Smith, Co-Founder, IlliniGuys & Co-Host/Executive Producer, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular
February 11, 2024
(Photos courtesy Larry Smith)
LAS VEGAS, Nev. - It was January, 2007 and the story I was working on was 'could pro sports play in Las Vegas?' My producer at CNN Sports twisted my arm (wink wink) to make the three-day trip to Sin City immediately after the BCS game in suburban Phoenix. Florida shocked favored Ohio State to reign as king of college football on that night, but the real stunner came during our interviews in Vegas.
I sat down with then-mayor - and former mob lawyer - Oscar Goodman, an executive at MGM Grand, and the general manager of the Triple-AAA baseball affiliate that called Las Vegas home and they were very persuasive in their collective view. I landed on that Tuesday a skeptic, but I left on Friday a convert - firmly believing Las Vegas would eventually be a major league sports city.
Ked's Recruiting Roundup - Divine, Destiny & Illini Women's Basketball
Illinois Women's Basketball Program Eyes Top Talents in 2025 Class at Today's Maryland Game.
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
February 11, 2024
The Illinois women's basketball program is setting its sights on securing a formidable backcourt for the future, with two of the nation's top prep players in the class of 2025 on their radar and in attendance for today's Maryland game.
ESPN HoopGurlz Super 60 ranks Divine Bourrage, a 6-foot-0 guard from Davenport North (HS) in Davenport, IA, at the 9th spot nationally, while Destiny Jackson, a 5-foot-6 guard from Whitney Young (HS) in Illinois, has climbed to the 29th position.
Spartans Take Advantage of Late-Game Illini Meltdown
Michigan State outscored No. 10 Illinois 23-8 from the […]
Sturdy's Illini Basketball Preview - At Michigan State
Brad Sturdy, IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular & Big Sports Radio Co-Host and Illini Uber-Insider
February 10, 2024
The Fighting Illini are on the road on Saturday in a road tilt that will likely determine whether they are a legit player for the Big Ten title. Illinois is ranked in the top 10 in the opening poll of February for the first time since Feb. 6, 2006, and the Illini sit one game behind Purdue in the loss column in 2nd place alone and will need a strong finish to catch the Boilers. It starts on Saturday at Michigan State against a desperate Spartan squad that needs this win if they want to continue their 25-year streak of NCAA tournament appearances.
The Spartans have just 2 Quad 1 wins at the moment, and one will likely slide to a Quad 2, and have only at Purdue remaining as a Quad 1. Should they lose this game, they would have almost no margin for error down the stretch.
Here are our keys and a pick:
Ked's Recruiting Roundup - Sophomore Lincoln Williams Receives Scholarship Offer from Illinois
Kedric Prince, IlliniGuys Director of Recruiting
February 10, 2024
Lincoln Williams, a 6-foot-5, 180-pound shooting guard from the class of 2026, who recently received a scholarship offer from Illinois, making this his first Power 5 offer.