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The Champaign Room

https://www.thechampaignroom.com/ | 473 entries published

A Fighting Illini community since 2012

Latest Entries

How to Watch Illinois vs. Wisconsin: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds

How to Watch Illinois vs. Wisconsin Game Time: 7 p.m. Tuesday TV Channel: N/A Online Streaming: Peacock Odds: N/A (Illinois 84.9% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (20-4, 11-2 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Michigan State 85, Illinois 82 (OT) Gameday Reading: Wisconsin Badgers (16-7, 8-4 Big Ten) […]

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

Illinois struggles offensively, falls in overtime at Michigan State

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Close, but no cigar. For the third weekend in a row, Illinois had the opportunity to knock off a top ten-ranked Big Ten foe on the road. No. 5 Illinois pushed No. 10 Michigan State to overtime on Saturday night at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, but the Spartans came […]

about 1 month ago | 8 reads

Illinois names Jared Elliott tight ends coach

Bret Bielema has some spots to fill on his coaching staff. He filled one of them on Friday with Jared Elliott. Elliott served as tight ends coach at New Mexico last year, and he’ll serve in the same position on the Illini staff in 2026. The program said Elliott has served as a college coach […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Who should be Bret Bielema’s next defensive coordinator?

For the third time in six seasons, the Fighting Illini football team will have a new defensive coordinator. Aaron Henry accepted the Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary coach position at the University of Notre Dame. Henry was promoted to the Defensive Coordinator position when Ryan Walters left to become the Head Coach of Purdue in 2023. Henry’s tenure […]

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

Editorial: Jeremy Fears’ dirty play is a symptom of a bigger problem

Editor’s Note: The views in this piece are those of TCR staff columnist Pleas Honeywood. Let’s get this out of the way early: Tom Izzo earned his Hall of Fame ring.  He has been a model of both excellence and consistency in the Big Ten. His track record of making runs into the second weekend […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

There is no such thing as a ceiling for this year’s Illini

This group’s offensive firepower and chemistry have been off the charts thus far. This has arguably been one of the most exciting seasons in the program’s rich history. This year’s team has loads of talent, versatility, unselfishness, and no shortage of fun personalities. Their impressive play on the court has been extremely fun to watch, […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Illinois legends Ayo Dosunmu and Terrence Shannon Jr. team up in Minnesota

Ayo Dosunmu’s time as a basketball star in the state of Illinois has come to an end. ESPN’s Shams Charania reported this morning that the Chicago Bulls traded Ayo Dosunmu to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips were traded in exchange for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller, and four second-round picks, per Charania. Dosunmu […]

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

Bielema teases new scheme, Illinois’ next defensive coordinator

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — At a press conference on Wednesday night, Illinois head coach Bret Bielema addressed his defensive coordinator opening, dropping hints to some major changes coming to the defensive side of the ball in 2026 along the way. Just last week, Aaron Henry left the Illini for an opportunity on Marcus Freeman’s staff at […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Down big at half, Illinois women fall to Oregon in thriller

EUGENE, Ore. – Illinois found itself in uncharted waters on Wednesday night. After beating Washington over the weekend, it was time to conclude the West Coast road trip, this time facing off against the Oregon Ducks. However, the Illini found themselves down 21 points at halftime to the Ducks. Shauna Green, though, rerouted the course […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

Dissecting Illinois’ complete performance in total drubbing of Northwestern

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois dominated Northwestern at the State Farm Center in round two of what should always be a closely contested “rivalry” game. Instead, Wednesday night’s 84-44 Illini win was a forgettable chapter in a storied duel between both programs. Illinois put together its most complete performance in conference play of the 2025-26 season. […]

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

How to Watch Illinois at Michigan State: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds

How to Watch Illinois at Michigan State Game Time: 7 p.m. Saturday TV Channel: Fox Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 44.4% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (20-3, 11-1 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 84, Northwestern 44 Gameday Reading: Michigan State Spartans (19-4, 9-3 Big Ten) […]

about 1 month ago | 1 read

Will Michigan State’s Jeremy Fears start against Illinois?

Illinois will search for another top-10 road win Saturday night in East Lansing, and one of Michigan State’s best players may not be on the court (at least to start). Tom Izzo had some choice words for Jeremy Fears’ performance in the Spartans’ Wednesday night to Minnesota. “Jeremy’s gotta grow up a little bit,” Izzo […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Illinois joins elite company with another 20-win season

As if the 84-44 win over Northwestern on Wednesday night didn’t signal elite to the fans, how about this? With the victory, Illinois secured its seventh consecutive 20-win regular season under Brad Underwood — it’s a streak that dates back to the COVID-shortened 2019-20 season. The Illini are just one of three teams in that […]

about 1 month ago | 1 read

Illinois torches Northwestern, extends win streak to 12

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois caught fire early from beyond the arc and did not hesitate to slow down. Coming off consecutive top-5 road wins for the first time in program history after taking down No. 4 Purdue and No. 5 Nebraska, Illinois reminded its fans of the depth it has to offer with five Illini […]

about 1 month ago | 3 reads

Illinois controls its own destiny in Big Ten race

Illinois, for the second time in three games, faced a top-5 opponent away from State Farm Center and walked out a winner, The Illini worked the inside-out game and hit the boards hard in the first half on Sunday in Lincoln. Nebraska, to its credit, started out hitting three-pointers like it was throwing paper into […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

This Illinois basketball season feels different than most

In this episode of ‘Oskee Talk’ I highlight the standouts from the opening of track & field season (4:25), recap men’s basketball’s wins over Washington (7:17) and Nebraska (10:47), examine Keaton Wagler’s epic three-game stretch (20:46) and break down Illinois’ best start in 20 years (25:04). I also review the Big Ten race and discuss […]

about 1 month ago | 5 reads

TCR Bracketology 6.0: Illinois closing in on No. 1 seed

Another week, another top-five road win, another chapter in the lore of the kid from Shawnee, Kansas. After handling Washington at home without too much fanfare, Illinois went to Nebraska and “Robbed the Bank”. Personally, if I were Brad Underwood, I would have used “Assassinate Lincoln” as my punny motivational catch phrase, but to each […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Numbers Don’t Lie: Illinois’ offense is historically elite

Brad Underwood has had very good offensive teams throughout his time as a Division I basketball coach, but the 2025–26 Illini are his best yet. Illinois is currently averaging 84.6 points per game and is ranked No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency at KenPom and Bart Torvik. This year’s Illini team is not just the […]

about 1 month ago | 2 reads

Illinois moves up again in AP poll after topping No. 5 Nebraska

Can’t stop, won’t stop. Illinois — on an 11-game winning streak — keeps moving up the AP Top 25, checking in on Monday at No. 5. The Illini were No. 9 last week when they topped Washington and No. 5 Nebraska. Brad Underwood’s bunch is now the second-highest Big Ten team in the polls behind […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

How to Watch Illinois vs. Northwestern: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds

How to Watch Illinois vs. Northwestern Game Time: 8 p.m. Wednesday TV Channel: BTN Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 90.9% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (19-3, 10-1 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 78, Nebraska 69 Gameday Reading: Northwestern Wildcats (10-12, 2-9 Big Ten) Head Coach: […]

about 1 month ago | 4 reads

Illinois earns statement win at No. 25 Washington

SEATTLE — Illinois finally breaks through on the road. After weeks of narrow misses and ranked heartbreaks on the road, Illinois delivered its most complete performance of the season Sunday evening, knocking off No. 25 Washington 75-66 at Alaska Airlines Arena. The Illini controlled the paint, won the rebounding battle and leaned on a freshman […]

about 1 month ago | 6 reads

Report: Aaron Henry leaving Illinois for Notre Dame

Significant developments this weekend on Illinois’ coaching staff. First, special teams coordinator Robby Discher was reported to be heading to Ohio State. And then on Sunday, CBS Sports reported that defensive coordinator Aaron Henry is expected to head to South Bend and join Marcus Freeman’s staff at Notre Dame. Matt Zenitz reports Henry will be […]

about 1 month ago | 7 reads