A Fighting Illini community since 2012
Illinois basketball will head to New York City on Friday for a marquee non-conference showdown against the UConn Huskies inside Madison Square Garden. The Illini have appeared 15 times at “The World’s Most Famous Arena,” holding a 6–9 record. Brad Underwood has made MSG a regular stop on Illinois’ schedule, bringing the Illini to The […]
13 days ago | 0 reads
A few weeks ago, I went through ex-Illini players plying their trade around the world, seeing where they are playing and how they are doing. It is time to check in on the Illini playing (mostly) in the United States. With the international version, I power ranked the players based on best destination to live/visit. […]
13 days ago | 0 reads
Well, that didn’t last long. After one week appearing at No. 21 in the CFP rankings, Illinois is already back out after a disappointing 27-10 loss at Wisconsin on Saturday. The new rankings came out Tuesday night. The top of the rankings remained unchanged with Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia and Texas Tech still […]
14 days ago | 1 read
On Feb. 17, 2016, the University of Illinois hired former Illini football tight end Josh Whitman as its 14th permanent Director of Athletics (counting interim positions, the U of I has had 21 ADs), replacing the disposed AD Mike Thomas. While it took a couple of years and coaching changes, Illini athletics are on a […]
14 days ago | 1 read
How to Watch No. 13 Illinois vs. No. 5 UCONN (Madison Square Garden) Game Time: 11:30 a.m. Friday TV Channel: Fox Online Streaming: FOXSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 45.3% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1, 0-0 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season, 171-102) Last Game: Illinois 87, UTRGV 73 Gameday Reading: UCONN […]
14 days ago | 0 reads
It didn’t take much for the Illini to fall back down in the AP poll. Illinois entered Monday night’s contest against UTRGV at No. 13, after dropping from No. 8 following Illinois’ loss to Alabama last week at the United Center. I wouldn’t read much into all of this right now, as it’s only late […]
15 days ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois did what they needed to do ahead of their huge Black Friday matchup against UConn, beating UTRGV 87-73 Monday night at the State Farm Center. Tonight’s game was reminiscent of the last time these two teams matched up. That game took place at the State Farm Center in 2021, when the […]
15 days ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois did what they needed to do ahead of their huge Black Friday matchup against UConn, beating UTRGV 87-73 Monday night at the State Farm Center. Tonight’s game was reminiscent of the last time these two teams matched up. That game took place at the State Farm Center in 2021, when the […]
15 days ago | 0 reads
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A statement win on the road. Illinois went south for its toughest early season test, defeating Florida State in Tallahassee on Sunday afternoon. The road environment was no deterrent to the Illini, who dominated the game, from early to late, resulting in an 86-63 victory. The pace set by the opening quarter […]
15 days ago | 0 reads
How to Watch Illinois vs. UTRGV Game Time: 7 p.m. Monday TV Channel: BTN Online Streaming: FOXSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 97.4% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (5-1, 0-0 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season, 170-102) Last Game: Illinois 98, LIU 58 Gameday Reading: UT Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (2-3, 0-0 Southland) […]
16 days ago | 0 reads
When Northwestern comes to Champaign next Saturday night for the regular season’s final game, the scuffling Illini are expected to come out on top. FanDuel Sportsbook on Sunday issued its opening line for the HAT matchup, and Illinois is a 6.5-point favorite. It’s the fourth consecutive game to close out the season that the Illini […]
16 days ago | 0 reads
There is no positive spin for this one. Well, Luke Altmyer and Gabe Jacas’ final season in Champaign is going out with a sad whimper, and not a bang. The 27-10 drubbing at the hands of Luke Fickell’s Badgers sealed their fate. Regardless of what happens when a spry Northwestern squad closes the regular season […]
16 days ago | 0 reads
MADISON, Wis. — When it was announced in the spring of 2025 that four of the five offensive line starters from the 10-win Citrus Bowl champions Illinois team would be returning, many did not bat an eye. It is usually a good thing when fans do not talk about their offensive line — it means […]
17 days ago | 0 reads
MADISON, Wis. — In a highly contested road matchup against the Wisconsin Badgers, a sloppy performance from the special teams unit hampered the No. 21 Illinois Fighting Illini. Trailing by seven points with just over 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Illini were forced to punt things away. On what’s typically a routine exchange from […]
17 days ago | 0 reads
MADISON, Wis. — The ghost of Christmas past decided to taunt Bret Bielema at Camp Randall Stadium on Saturday night. It was just a short decade ago when Bielema was viewed as the architect behind Wisconsin’s run towards Big Ten title games, with the old football spirits of JJ Watt, Russell Wilson and Melvin Gordon, […]
17 days ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois keeps its non-conference momentum going and bounces back after Wednesday’s loss to Alabama, cruising past Long Island in an all-around scoring effort led by freshman guard Keaton Wagler and Cal transfer Andrej Stojakovic. After finding rhythm early behind efficient shooting across the board and domination in the paint, the Illini calmly […]
17 days ago | 1 read
Next up is a date in Madison, Wisconsin, at Camp Randal Stadium, Saturday, 6:30 p.m., on BTN vs. the 3-7 Wisconsin Badgers. The Illini are 7-3, but 2-2 on the road. Last Saturday, the Illini handled the Maryland Terrapins 24-6 for their second win in a row after two straight losses. They also have cracked […]
18 days ago | 0 reads
Illinois vs. Alabama was, simply put, a depressing loss. I was at the game on Wednesday night with a group of fellow alumni, buzzing with anticipation to watch the Illini play in front of a near-capacity crowd in Chicago, and it truly turned out to be quite the sight to behold. Witnessing the largest indoor […]
18 days ago | 0 reads
Illinois’ offense has been the catalyst for the Fighting Illini’s success this season on the football field. Led by quarterback Luke Altmyer, who is playing his best football of his career, surrounded by a number of playmakers like Mr. Do-it-all Hank Beatty, the offense has been clicking. And with two games left in the regular […]
18 days ago | 1 read
On Saturday, the Illini face a familiar foe in a familiar spot. Bret Bielema returns to his old stomping grounds. He revisits the scene of his greatest success as a head coach. The story is well-known that Bielema won multiple conference championships as the head man at Wisconsin. He capitalized on Michigan and Ohio State […]
18 days ago | 0 reads
How to Watch No. 21 (CFP) Illinois at Wisconsin Game Time: 6:30 p.m. Saturday TV Channel: BTN Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO Odds: ILL -8.5, O/U 41.5 Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) Head Coach: Bret Bielema (5th season) Last Game: 24-6 win over Maryland Gameday Reading: Wisconsin Badgers (3-7, 1-6 Big Ten) Head coach: Luck Fickell (3rd […]
19 days ago | 3 reads
How to Watch Illinois vs. Long Island Game Time: 1 p.m. Saturday TV Channel: N/A Online Streaming: BTN+ Odds: N/A (Illinois 98.7% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season, 169-102) Last Game: Alabama 90, Illinois 86 Gameday Reading: Long Island Sharks (3-2, 0-0 NEC) Head […]
19 days ago | 2 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The No. 21 Illini are hitting the road for the last time this regular season, as they’ll be making the trip up north to take on the Wisconsin Badgers at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison. Although this is an away game, Madison is a familiar place for Illinois head coach Bret Bielema, […]
19 days ago | 2 reads
CHICAGO — In Illinois’ first regular season game at the United Center in seven years, the Illini felt the love from thousands of fans dressed in orange and blue. But Alabama sophomore guard Labaron Philon had other plans as he took over late in a back-and-forth battle that ended with the Crimson Tide winning 90-86 […]
19 days ago | 0 reads
CHICAGO — Tuesday night was poised to become a battle of moments. For the longest time, it looked like whoever had the biggest would take home an elusive ranked nonconference win on an exhilarating night at the United Center. All night, No. 8 Illinois’ Andrej Stojakovic was determined to lift the Illini to a win […]
20 days ago | 0 reads