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The Champaign Room

A Fighting Illini community since 2012

Latest Entries

Illinois adds Lincoln Williams to 2026 class

Brad Underwood made a last-minute addition to his 2026 class. Illinois announced Monday that it signed Lincoln Williams, a 6-foot-5 guard from Kankakee. Williams averaged 26 points and six rebounds as a senior last year at Kankakee High School. He finished his high school career with 1,853 points. Williams is the sixth member of Illinois’ […]

Luke Altmyer receives praise from Lions head coach Dan Campbell

Detroit Lions head coach, Dan Campbell, gave a shout out to former Illini, Luke Altmyer, at OTAs this week. The Detroit Free Press posted an article that features Dan Campbell’s comments about Luke Altmyer: “He doesn’t lack confidence, for sure,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “What we thought he would be at this point, I […]

Play 31-0: Illinois version of viral lineup game

I’m sure by now you’ve come across “82-0”, the viral online game where you get a decade and a NBA team, and you need to pick a player to fill each position. Your goal? To build a lineup that would go 82-0. Well, now there’s a chance to play the game with your favorite players […]

Who is the GOAT Illinois Basketball coach?

Is Brad Underwood already the greatest Illini Basketball coach of all-time? Or does someone else have a case? Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote today: https://linkly.link/2k0Ei

Illinois makes appearance in NCAA Football 27 trailer

EA Sports College Football 27 comes out in a month, but the first trailer is released this week. And Illinois made a brief appearance toward the end of the trailer. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti narrated the video (he’s a cover “athlete” this year). And at 1:41 in the trailer, you see an Illini player — […]

Former All-American Jenna Hall named Illinois softball head coach

Josh Whitman has made another hire — and they usually turn out pretty good. Jenna Hall is his pick to lead Illini softball into the future. Hall, a former All-American for Illinois, will be the third head coach in program history after Illinois fired Tyra Perry last month. Illinois said Hall agreed to a five-year […]

Does Illinois basketball enter summer as 2027’s best team?

The Illini are coming off their best NCAA Tournament finish since 2005, reaching the Final Four as a No. 3 seed. Expectations for the 2026-27 season are even higher with five of the team’s top eight scorers returning for another year. Illinois was unable to capture either the Big Ten regular-season title or the conference […]

Pope Leo gifted Illinois football jersey

Just like Knicks star Jalen Brunson, Pope Leo left the state of Illinois for college and attended Villanova. But in a visit to the Vatican on Wednesday, Illinois State Rep. Kim Buckner gifted the first American pope a Fighting Illini football jersey. The blue jersey said Leo on the back and had the No. 14. […]

Illini legends on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Two Illini legends are hoping to join 18 former Illinois players in the College Football Hall of Fame this year. The 2027 ballot was released on Monday, and this year’s ballot includes Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice. Overall, the ballot has 80 players and nine coaches from the FBS ranks. Hardy was the 1995 Butkus […]

Drafting Brad Underwood’s Best Wins at Illinois

Illini Isaac and Robby Nardini of The Champaign Room break down recent Illini news and then face off in a draft of Brad Underwood’s best wins at Illinois! Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote today: https://linkly.link/2k0Ei

With Stojakovic secured, Illinois can stake its claim as a title contender

On this episode of ‘Oskee Talk’ I discuss how Andrej Stojakovic’s return impacts the Fighting Illini’s bid for another Final Four (3:51) as well as incoming freshman Quentin Coleman earning a spot on Team USA (17:02). I also introduce Illinois’ newest women’s basketball recruits (23:15) and criticize the NCAA’s new international eligibility rules (30:20). Finally, […]

Why Illinois can beat Texas Tech in back-to-back years

Last season was the beginning of a home-and-home series Illinois agreed to with Texas Tech. The inaugural game was Illinois’ first big assignment of the season, where No. 11 Texas Tech was outworked by No. 14 Illinois. The ranked matchup was nail biting to the end, when junior Andrej Stojakovic had a clutch block in […]

Can Brad Underwood bring a national title to Illinois in 2027? 

Conversations about a national championship don’t happen often in Champaign, but the Orange and Blue crowd has every reason to dream big this season. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place on May 27 when Andrej Stojakovic announced his return, locking in an Illinois roster that will enter the season with a target […]

Kickoff times announced for Illinois’ first three 2026 games

Football season is almost here — and now we can mark more games on the calendar. Illinois announced its kickoff times for its first three games of the 2026 season on Wednesday. The season will start at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 3 against UAB. The game will start at 8 p.m. on Big Ten […]

What NCAA’s new international guidelines mean for Underwood and Illinois

On May 8, the NCAA released new eligibility guidelines that target international prospects who have spent time playing in pro leagues overseas.  The guidelines are aiming to classify players from the EuroLeague, Spanish ACB and more as pro athletes rather than student athletes. It’s implied that the rule will be put in place to preserve […]

Andrej Stojakovic pulls name from NBA Draft, will return to Illinois

After watching Andrej Stojakovic enter his name in the NBA Draft, compete in and test well at the Draft Combine and even say that he’s “both feet in” the draft process, Illinois fans can officially rest easy. Stojakovic announced Wednesday that he will be removing his name from the NBA Draft and come back to […]

NBA

Illinois football’s five most intriguing 2026 matchups

It seems like it was only a short matter of time ago that the Fighting Illini took down Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. Despite that feeling, much has changed since then, and with roughly three months before the first kickoff against UAB, it’s already time to start looking at who the Illini will face […]

Could Quentin Coleman be the next great Illinois guard?

Illini fans have been spoiled with excellent guard play since the arrival of Ayo Dosunmu in 2018. Several have followed in Dosunmu’s footsteps, cementing Brad Underwood as a coach that can develop guards. Ayo Dosunmu, Kasparas Jakucionis, Will Riley and Keaton Wagler were all home-grown stars recruited by Underwood. If Underwood’s staff isn’t developing guards, […]

How good is Illinois’ 2026 freshman class?

We all know Brad and Tyler can put on a recruiting masterclass, but how will the five newbies stack up? Guards Starting with the most recent, but probably most essential piece in the recruiting class is Missouri 247Sports five- star recruit Quentin Coleman. Not only does it always feel good to grab a “Braggin’ Rights” […]