Mike Cagley, Co-Host Sports Spectacular

December 16, 2025

The #13 Illini lost to #23 Nebraska at home in a game that both teams shot well but the Illini defense allowed a good shooting Nebraska team to heat up early and they never really cooled off. There are reasons to be concerned about this year’s Fighting Illini basketball team – even though they can put up offensive numbers that impress on a regular basis.

The Illini football team got the news that Luke Altmyer and Hank Beatty will play for the Illini in the Music City Bowl while JC Davis and Gabe Jacas will not.

Heat Check #1 – Illini Basketball Needs a Defensive Identity and Needs It ASAP

The Illini basketball team demonstrated an ability to score at a highly efficient rate throughout the last few seasons. Unfortunately, the team has seen an erosion of the defensive results that set teams up for success in the NCAA tournament.

The Illini need to find a defensive identity and find it quickly. Too often, it seems that playing defense is optional, or just a temporary activity to get them to the next possession. This outlook must change.

There are two things that need to happen:

• Players must be bought in that defense is just as critical as offense. Reinforcing the fact that effort on the defensive end can lead to improved success on the offensive end will be a key part of the persuasion process. Sitting on the bench if one doesn't play defense well is another key part of the persuasion process.
• On the coaching side, the staff must understand what this team (and its individual players) can and cannot do and engage the players in defensive strategies that play to their strengths and drill the coverages and defensive rotations into the players’ heads on the practice courts.

The Illini have won games by playing tough defense against Tennessee, so we know it can be done. This team can play defense, but they haven’t proven the ability to play defense consistently well. The time to prove that is now.

Underwood needs to create an atmosphere where individual Illini players mentally draw a line saying, “my guy will not beat me on this possession.” This line needs to be drawn every possession. This behavior must be what defines this team.

To fail to imprint this on the team means this season will go down as just another “woulda, coulda, shoulda” season in a long list of Illini seasons that end in underachievement. This season could end up as the start to yet another story that Illini fans lead with a “What if…” and Illini fans don’t need another one of those.

Figure out the effective defense needed to pair with the offense for a successful tournament run - and see how much this Illini team can achieve.

Hail Mary #1 – Illini Playing in Music City Bowl

We know so far Luke Altmyer and Hank Beatty will be playing in the Music City Bowl later this month. We know JC Davis and Gabe Jacas will not participate in the Music City Bowl as they are preparing for the NFL Draft. We also know Matthew Bailey will not play due to surgery that occurred after the regular season end.

A few thoughts come to mind.

• Be thankful for Altmyer and Beatty wanting to play in the Music City Bowl. They are two stand-up guys who can make a difference on the football field. More importantly, appreciate their last game and instead of lamenting the end of their tenure at Illinois, instead be thankful for their time at Illinois.
• Gabe Jacas and J.C. Davis are going to prepare for the 2026 NFL Draft. They will be missed. In a perfect world, players wouldn’t have to make this choice. They would be able to insure themselves to the level that they might be worth as NFL players.
• For those angry at these two gentlemen for not playing, consider the case of Jaylon Smith the Notre Dame linebacker injured in the 2016 Fiesta Bowl. He went from a top 5 pick to a 2^nd round pick. This injury cost him $16 million in salary and bonuses. His career was a shorter one due to injuries and loss of capabilities on the field, to boot. Unless any of us, as an Illini fans, are willing to pay some part of the money a player might lose in the event of a major injury, maybe it’s better to focus on what the players have done and appreciate those things rather than get upset about a single game not played.
• After surgery, Matthew Bailey still might declare for the 2026 Draft. He played much of last season with a massive tape job that looked like he had a club arm. A huge thanks goes out to him for his efforts, and fans hope he can get healthy, even if the fanbase would’ve loved seeing him playing in the Music City Bowl.

The Illini will have their work cut out for them to defeat a talented Tennessee team in what essentially is a home game. It should be a lot of fun. Focus on that and watching the last game of the Altmyer era.