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Illinois linebacker Dylan Rosiek and right tackle Melvin Priestly are expected to play Saturday vs. Maryland

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 10, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — While its first bye week may have come later than any other Big Ten Conference program, the second bye week may have occurred in time for Illinois to get back to its healthiest possible roster of the 2025 season.

Minus the obvious season-ending injury to defensive back Xavier Scott, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema feels like every other projected starter should be available when the Illini host Maryland at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign on Saturday afternoon (2:30 p.m. CST, FS1).

“We should be at pretty full strength on Saturday,” Bielema said Monday.

By Kedric Prince - IlliniGuys Sr. Recruiting Analyst

November 10, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Phenom Hoops Report)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illinois men’s basketball program continues to pursue some of the nation’s best high school talent this fall, targeting players who fit Brad Underwood’s system.

While the Illini have missed out on a few major recruiting targets, they secured a key commitment from 6-foot-6 wing Lucas Morillo, a rising player whose national ranking has continued to climb.

Next on the commitment watch list is highly regarded 6-foot-6 wing Adam Oumiddoch from Overtime Elite. Oumiddoch is set to announce his college decision Wednesday, with Illinois, Oregon, LSU, St. John’s, and Villanova among his final choices.

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

The new-look Illinois lineup and rotation found itself in a tight game against upstart Illinois State highlighting the good, bad and very encouraging future of this Illini squad.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 9, 2025

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There are going to be times early in this 2025-26 season where Shauna Green won’t agree that new isn’t better and she certainly won’t think it’s fun.

The Illinois women’s basketball’s 75-65 win over Illinois State on Sunday will likely be one of those times.

“It’s a constant learning every single possession of my life,” Green said in describing her feelings of still trying to figure out this 2025-26 roster. “

Yes, in a complete reversal of last season’s depth issues, Illinois

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 9, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Zeno Jo/IlliniGuys)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – In its push to look for some defensive linemen to add to its 2026 class, the Illinois Fighting Illini football team hosted an in-state big man who could be rated as an under- the-radar get.

Markius Woods, currently a senior at Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, was among the group of visitors at Gies Memorial Stadium last week for the team’s 35-13 win over Rutgers.

“It’s a great visit right now, just showing me the atmosphere. I’m just trying to see if I could call this place home for me,” Woods said.

By IlliniGuys Staff November 9, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

(From Illinois Sports Information Office)   Illinois vs. Illinois […]

The weekly rankings shows produced by Disney/ESPN are designed to be content aggregators for those addicted to college football but not designed to be taken seriously at all.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 8, 2025

Welcome the annual column where I do my best to convince you on how one of the biggest fraudulent moments inside college sports occurs for approximately one hour every week in November.

For around 60 minutes, including the commercials for the companies that essentially allow this annual context test to the intelligence of the common sports fan to continue, the Disney Corporation and its subsidiary, ESPN, produce and broadcast a television show designed look like news.

Welcome to the Tuesday night ‘College Football Playoffs Rankings Show’ where host Rece Davis and analyst Kirk Herbstreit and their annual revolving door of merry men of analysts spend 60 minutes in the middle of November trying to convince you, the loyal viewer who is so clearly addicted to American tackle football, that the short Zoom call all of these 12 committee members had is the most important thing that will ever happen for the next several days until we get to a weekend of games making what we’ve just dissected for the last three days severely irrelevant.

By Brad Sturdy - IlliniGuys Insider/Analyst & Co-Host, IlliniGuys […]

By Zeno Jo - IlliniGuys Staff Writer

November 8, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – It was, in head coach Shauna Green’s words, one of the harder basketball games to watch, but it was a game that helped prepare the Illinois women’s basketball team for a season in a multitude of ways.

If you weren’t able to catch Tuesday night’s game because it was on Big Ten Plus, or you just had other plans, you may be wondering why a 91-67 season-opening win over Southeast Missouri State may have been hard to watch. Tracing your finger down to the team’s row in the box score for the personal fouls column will tell you why: the officiating crew called 58 personal fouls across 40 minutes of game time.

“It was tough to watch for everyone, I think, but it is what it is,” Green said

Illinois All-Big Ten center Tomislav Ivisic’s future status is […]

By IlliniGuys Staff November 7, 2025 (Cover photo courtesy […]

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

November 7, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

A familiar face comes to Champaign with Florida Gulf Coast on Friday night when former Penn State coach Pat Chambers graces the sidelines. Chambers was 7-5 against Illinois over 9 seasons and will be looking for a major upset in this one as he attempts to make his mark at FCGU. The Illini are looking to take care of business as they prepare for a gauntlet of difficult games in the next 2 months heading into Big Ten play.

Here’s a preview of what to expect.

Setting the Stage
#17/14 Illinois (1-0) vs. Florida Gulf Coast (1-0)
Friday, Nov. 7, 2025 // 7:30 p.m. CT // Champaign, Ill. // State Farm Center
Stream: Peacock – Paul Burmeister (Play-by-Play), Nick Bahe (Analyst)
Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network – Brian Barnhart (Play-By-Play), Deon Thomas

Notable
Illinois enters Friday’s contest having won three consecutive games at State Farm Center overall….. Illinois is looking to start 2-0 or better for the seventh straight season under head coach Brad Underwood…..Friday’s matchup is the first meeting in the series between Illinois and Florida Gulf Coast. FGCU coach Pat Chambers previously served at Penn State, where he was 7-5 against the Illini during nine seasons…. Friday marks the Fighting Illini’s first matchup all-time vs. Florida Gulf Coast….Brad Underwood has never coached against the Eagles in his 13-year career as a head coach.

By Kedric Prince - Staff Writer

November 6, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The “other” true freshman guard that no one seemed to talk much about leading up to the season is Brandon Lee from The Patrick School in New Jersey. Lee joins the Illinois men’s basketball program with a strong family legacy. His father, Butch Lee, starred at Marquette and was named the Most Outstanding Player in the 1977 NCAA Tournament.

Brandon Lee built his own impressive resume before arriving in Champaign. He scored over 2,000 points during his high school career and, in 2024, finished as the third-leading scorer in the EYBL circuit, averaging 23 points per game. He was also named Breakout MVP of the 17U division.

IlliniGuys caught up with Lee for a Q&A session during the preseason as he adjusts to life in college basketball.

Following a 35-13 win over Rutgers, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema downplays his role in scouting preparation and says coming out of the bye week that his role never changed from previous weeks.

By Matt Stevens - IlliniGuys Football Writer/Analyst

November 6, 2025

(Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics)

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When asked if his increased scouting role for the defensive coaches prior to the Rutgers game, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema initially didn’t understand the question.

After making it publicly known that the Illini fifth-year head coach said Thursday that his role in scouting Rutgers’ third-down offense and doing a Monday morning presentation with the defensive coaches, Bielema said Thursday that his role last weekend was overblown by media and fans’ frustration following the loss at Washington.

“It really wasn’t that different last week,” Bielema said in his bye week media session at Gies Memorial Stadium. “I think people paid a lot more attention to it. Proud of guys and how they responded.”