A Fighting Illini community since 2012
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
When it comes to college sports, you often hear about tiers. Should the Illini win out, it will be the first time in school history that they will have had back-to-back regular seasons of 9 or more wins. During the first three years of Bret Bielema (2021-23), Illinois was 18-19. The Illini are currently 17-6 […]
20 days ago | 1 read
When you post on SB Nation, we don’t want you to miss all the conversations and responses that follow. So starting today, whenever a user replies to your comment or to your post on the Feed, you’ll see a notification at the top right corner of the page. And of course, this means that when […]
20 days ago | 1 read
Illinois basketball will host Alabama on Wednesday for a regular season game inside the United Center for the first time since 2018. The Illini played a regular-season game in Chicago every season (except for 2009) dating back to 1994 before their last appearance in 2018. Head coach Brad Underwood did not continue the United Center […]
21 days ago | 1 read
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Murray State came to town on Tuesday morning, but Illinois quickly taught them a lesson that that’s not a wise idea. The Illini routed the Racers 84-64 on Field Trip Day at State Farm Center in front of 14,000 people, many of whom were children from around central Illinois. Sophomore Berry Wallace […]
21 days ago | 2 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Walking over to the State Farm Center Tuesday morning, I can’t lie, I was feeling pretty tired. Between the nasty Champaign weather and the start of finals season, it was a foggy morning. However, when 10,000 screaming kids greeted me, it definitely jolted me awake. As someone who attended the men’s game […]
21 days ago | 2 reads
For the first time this year, Illinois is ranked in the CFP Top 25. The Illini checked in Tuesday night at No. 21, marking the second straight season the Orange and Blue found themselves ranked in mid-November. While you shouldn’t expect the 7-3 Illini to still find their way into the 12-team playoff, it’s quite […]
21 days ago | 1 read
Following a big week where Illinois fended off JT Toppin and Texas Tech at home before a ho-hum, sleepy win against Toothpaste University, Brad Underwood’s squad has another big challenge coming up on Wednesday night. The Illini head two-and-a-half hours north on I-57 (or maybe they fly) to take on Alabama at the United Center. […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
On this episode of “Oskee Talk” I recap Illinois football’s victory over Maryland (2:44), highlighting Luke Altmyer’s rise in the Illini record books (8:27) and noting that the program is currently in one of its most successful stretches (17:11). I also preview Illinois’ upcoming game against Wisconsin (21:32), analyze the Badgers’ unusually poor offense (26:24), […]
22 days ago | 1 read
How to Watch Illinois vs. Alabama (United Center) Game Time: 8 p.m. Wednesday TV Channel: FS1 Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 57.5% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (4-0, 0-0 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season, 169-101) Last Game: Illinois 84, Colgate 65 Gameday Reading: Alabama Crimson Tide (2-1, 0-0 SEC) […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
I can get used to this. For the second time in as many weeks this season, Illinois freshman David Mirkovic was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. In two wins last week — including an upset over Texas Tech — Mirkovic averaged 19 points and 12.5 rebounds. In a win Friday over Colgate, Mirkovic […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
For the first time in Memorial Stadium history, there will be a night game in November. The Big Ten announced the schedule for the regular season’s final week on Monday, and Illinois will host Northwestern on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 6:30 p.m. The game will air nationally on Fox. If Illinois wins its last two […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
Illinois soccer’s best season in more than a decade abruptly came to an end. No. 7 Memphis sent home N0. 10 Illinois in a 2-1 win for the Tigers in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night in Tennessee. Finishing with a 13-6-2 record, the Fighting Illini were able to turn heads […]
22 days ago | 0 reads
It’s the final road game of the regular season, and the 7-3 Illinois Fighting Illini are favorites to win it. According to FanDuel Sportsbook on Sunday, the Illini are 8.5 point favorites to beat the Badgers at Camp Randall. The Big Ten announced late Saturday that the game will be a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on […]
23 days ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — They say follow the numbers. If you follow the numbers from Illinois’ performances over the last two week’s you’ll know Illinois is trending towards a successful month of November. A “November to Remember” is what Illinois head coach Bret Bielema calls it. It’s been something Bielema and the rest of the coaching […]
24 days ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini’s first game out of the bye week was a gritty one, as they battled their way to a 24-6 win over the Maryland Terrapins at Gies Memorial Stadium. While the final score might tell a different story, the Orange and Blue were stumbling out of the gates, punting on three […]
24 days ago | 1 read
CORVALLIS, OR. — A tough one on the road. The Illini traveled west for their first game away from Champaign of the season, taking on the Oregon State Beavers Friday night. The road game proved to be too big a challenge for the Illini, with the team coming up just short 64-59. The opening quarter […]
24 days ago | 1 read
Illinois improved to 4-0 on Friday night with a win over Colgate in a game aired on BTN+. If you didn’t watch the stream — and you weren’t there in person — you may have missed what Kylan Boswell was wearing on his feet. TCR’s Jack Jungann captured Boswell’s custom kicks that featured Chief Illiniwek […]
25 days ago | 1 read
URBANA, Ill. – Mere seconds before hearing their name called, the Fighting Illini were unsure if their season had come to an end following the 2-0 loss against Washington in the Big Ten Tournament. Now, after the relief of hearing the announcement, No. 10 Illinois will face No. 7 Memphis in the NCAA Tournament on […]
25 days ago | 1 read
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It certainly wasn’t the prettiest showing from Illinois, but the Illini still managed to add another tally to the win column, thanks mostly to David Mirkovic’s absurd stat line. After an inspiring 81-77 win over No. 11 Texas Tech on Tuesday, No. 14 Illinois didn’t look as polished in their 84-65 win […]
25 days ago | 1 read
Illinois football is bowl eligible for the third time in five years under Bret Bielema. As has been stated here previously, Bielema’s tenure has been an overall success. The results on the field have translated to a higher level of Illinois players entering the NFL. And on this senior-laden roster, there are plenty of NFL […]
25 days ago | 0 reads
There is plenty of reason for optimism with this team after a 3-0 start. After a hard-fought matchup with Texas Tech, the Illini woke up Wednesday morning with a 3-0 record and a win over a borderline top-10 team. There are many positive signs for a team that has so many new players taking on […]
26 days ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The beginning of the 2025 season for Illinois was long. The Illini did not have a chance to catch their breath until week eight — the latest first bye week in the NCAA. The result after their week off? Not good. Illinois was throttled at Washington, losing 42-25. But off a rebound […]
26 days ago | 2 reads
On this episode of “Oskee Talk” I recognize women’s soccer’s first NCAA Tournament berth since 2013 (2:47) before revisiting Illinois’ thrilling victory over Texas Tech in Champaign (5:46), including a milestone win for Brad Underwood (9:05). I also spotlight standout performances from Tech’s JT Toppin (13:38) and Illinois’ Andrej Stojakovic (18:40) as well as the […]
26 days ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini will be getting their season started against the University of Alabama at Birmingham Blazers on Sept. 5, 2026, per a recent press release from the team. UAB, a member of the American Athletic Conference, is a team that will likely look a lot different by the time it comes to […]
26 days ago | 0 reads