A Fighting Illini community since 2012
Well, well, well. We meet again. Two years after one of the most soul-crushing losses in recent Illini memory — and just four months after a Black Friday crumbling at Madison Square Garden — Illinois will get another shot at Dan Hurley’s UCONN Huskies. And, if the third time’s the charm, Illinois will advance to […]
How to Watch No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 UCONN (NCAA Tournament Final Four) Game Time: 5:09 p.m. Saturday TV Channel: TBS/TruTV Online Streaming: HBO Max Odds: Illinois -2.5, O/U 139.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (28-8, 15-5 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 71, Iowa 59 (Elite Eight) UCONN Huskies […]
HOUSTON — Forget the narratives, forget the drought. Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini just kicked the door down and cemented their names in Orange and Blue history. “It’s not just me,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. “It’s so many people that’ve helped along the way.” On a historic Saturday afternoon at the Toyota Center, No. […]
Monday, March 20, 2017. I was on spring break during my sophomore year at the University of Illinois. No big vacations planned that year with my parents. Second-year athletic director Josh Whitman fired John Groce the prior week, but Illinois is still competing in the NIT under the leadership of Jamall Walker. Illinois is set […]
It’s beautiful. Hoards of people took to Green Street and Alma Mater Saturday night after Illinois punched its first ticket to the Final Four in 21 years. In a video posted by the University, you can hear the loud chants of “Final Four.” And the images on the ground show a crazy scene on Green […]
Who else would it be? Keaton Wagler was named the South Region’s Most Outstanding Player after Illinois’ 71-59 win over Iowa in the Elite Eight on Saturday in Houston. In four NCAA Tournament games, the star freshman from Kansas averaged 17.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists. And somehow his three-point percentage was 44%??? Doesn’t […]
Nothing better than a water gun celebration after a win. Especially when that win sends the Illini to their first Final Four in 21 years. Here’s a look at the best locker room celebration shots from Illinois’ 71-59 win over Iowa in the Elite Eight on Saturday in Houston.
One more win against a Big Ten team. More specifically, one more win against a Big Ten team they already defeated this season. That was the barrier between the Fighting Illini and their first trip to the Final Four since two months into the second term of the 43rd POTUS. The draw fell ideally in […]
HOUSTON — Indy, here we come. For the first time since the legendary Fighting Illini team of 2004-05, Illinois is heading to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four. Illinois punched its ticket to Indianapolis with a 71-59 win over Big Ten rival No. 9 Iowa in the South Region Final on Saturday night in Houston. The […]
All that stands in the way of Illinois’ first Final Four appearance since 2005 is…Iowa. Brad Underwood, Keaton Wagler, Kylan Boswell, and Andrej Stojakovic met with media ahead of the team’s biggest game of the year. A rematch with much higher stakes Illinois and Iowa met once already this season. The Illini took care of […]
Just how we all drew it up. For Illinois to advance to its first Final Four in two decades and have a shot at a national championship, the team standing in its way will be the… Iowa Hawkeyes. Yep. We wouldn’t want it any other way. So what does Illinois — which opened as a […]
Two years ago, Illinois rolled into the round of 16. They were in a 2 vs. 3 matchup. Their opponent was a top 10ish program with a top 10ish coach. It was described as a matchup of the potent Illinois offense against its opponent’s elite defense. Two years ago, Illinois had a dominant superstar guard […]
HOUSTON — A herd of orange lingered on the court as an empty Toyota Center sat ablaze with a buzz. Behind the crowd, Kylan Boswell bit his jersey, full of unbridled joy, Illinois had knocked out Houston 65-55 to advance to the Elite Eight. But this moment, this milestone, this achievement, was never a guarantee. […]
We all know KAMS is the place to be on campus. Of course, as a 2019 graduate of the university, I’m referring to old KAMS, but I’ve also ventured inside the new KAMS back in 2020, and it’s pretty good! And on Thursday night, it was pretty WILD. TCR’s Cooper O’Kelly on the ground at […]
How to Watch No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 9 Iowa (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight) Game Time: 5:09 p.m. Saturday TV Channel: TBS/TruTV Online Streaming: March Madness Live Odds: Illinois -5.5, O/U 137.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (27-8, 15-5 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 65, Houston 55 (Sweet 16) Iowa […]
HOUSTON – Facing KenPom’s No. 4-ranked defense, one that only gives up 62 points-per-game, Illinois simply had to want it more to come out victorious in an arena filled with Cougar red. It was clear that they did indeed want it more. The Illini walked into Houston and fought for a 65-55 win in a […]
Back in December through early February, when Illinois went 12-0, the Illini were one of the top three-point shooting teams. They were out-rebounding teams by double-digits. They got as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll on Feb. 2. Then, after the Michigan State loss in overtime, the Illini struggled down the stretch, going […]
In this “Oskee Talk” extra I recap the Illini women’s NCAA Tournament loss to Vanderbilt (3:20), recognize this season’s standout performances (7:06), and discuss the team’s possible offseason plans (12:40). I also take a closer look at the men’s Sweet 16 pairings (17:22), revisit the history between Houston & Illinois (23:34), including the March Madness […]
HOUSTON — Illinois head coach Brad Underwood isn’t worried about No. 2 Houston’s home advantage for the Sweet 16 showdown. “We’ve won on the road all year,” Underwood said. And he’s right: the Illini won eight out of ten road games in the Big Ten this season. “It’s no different than going into West Lafayette […]
Another trip to the Sweet Sixteen for Brad Underwood and the Illini, and another tough, physical Big 12 2-seed awaiting them. Houston arrives to the Sweet Sixteen in similar dominating fashion as the Illini have, with 31-point victories over two double-digit seeds. A lot of the talk so far has been about how can Illinois […]
Illinois will head to Houston on Thursday night for a matchup with the Houston Cougars at the Toyota Center. The Illini will travel more than 900 miles for the game, while Houston will be playing in its home city. This will be a rematch of the 2022 Round of 32, when the five-seeded Cougars defeated […]
Illinois placed 15th at this weekend’s NCAA Wrestling Championships with two Fighting Illini earning All-American honors. Kannon Webster placed fifth at 157lb and former NCAA champ Lucas Byrd finished eighth at 133lb. Byrd wrapped up his illustrious Illini career by adding “four time All-American” to his resume, and his 2025 national title run is easily the […]
On March 20, 2022, the Illini lost a 68-53 game against Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars. The loss, while expected, was particularly galling. The loss came against a Houston team built to beat teams like Illinois. And let’s be clear: this game was one of the first attempts by Brad Underwood to build a roster that […]
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Fighting Illini made a brief comeback from their slump over the weekend. Illinois hosted Rutgers for a three-game conference series, going 2-1 after falling in the series finale. Illinois now has a 12-10 record on the season. Immediately coming into the first matchup, the Illini plated nine runs in the first […]
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — To most, March on college campuses means buzzer beaters and all the madness that comes with the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. For all the college football fanatics, on the other hand, it means the start of spring practices, something that’s underway in Champaign for the Illini. For Illinois head coach […]