A Fighting Illini community since 2012
ST. LOUIS — Illinois woke up in a fit of fury. A sour taste in the mouth shook the Illini faithful after Illinois dropped its first conference game against Nebraska at the State Farm Center. And it didn’t help when that taste lingered an excruciating nine days before fans would get to see Illinois again. […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Bret Bielema spent some of his week preparing for the Music City Bowl… slamming the AP poll’s men’s basketball voters. Illinois basketball dropped from No. 18 to No. 20 in Monday’s release, despite the Illini not playing a game last week after losing to Nebraska on Dec. 13. Illinois’ head football coach took issue with […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
Former Illini Pat Bryant made headlines Sunday for less than ideal reasons. The Broncos WR was carted off the field late in Sunday’s game against the Jaguars. Bryant took a big hit from cornerback Montaric Brown and was placed on a backboard with 31 seconds left in the Broncos’ 34-20 loss. According to The Athletic, […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A dominant showing at State Farm Center. Illinois returned home and left no doubt, dismantling Jackson State on Friday night in Champaign. The Illini controlled every phase of the game from the opening tip, rolling to an emphatic 86-43 victory behind balanced scoring, active defense and steady offensive execution. Illinois set the […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With nine days to practice after the buzzer-beating loss to Nebraska, head coach Brad Underwood stressed defensive and rebounding fundamentals to get the Illini back on the right track. Illinois faces Missouri on Monday night at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis in the annual Braggin’ Rights game, looking to secure its […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
The annual Braggin’ Rights game between Illinois and Missouri tips off this Monday, giving the Illini a chance to reset after a disappointing showing against Nebraska. Every season, this matchup finds its way to the top of Illinois fans’ calendars. As a recent UIUC graduate, I admit, I do not know the entirety of the […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
Illinois announced Friday that head wrestling coach Mike Poeta was placed on indefinite administrative leave. In a statement, athletic director Josh Whitman said Poeta will “remain away from the program while the University conducts an investigation into potential violations of his employment agreement stemming from possible noncompliance with University fiscal control policies.” The statement did […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Illinois football heads into earnest bowl prep and an offseason full of uncertainty. After 17 regular-season wins in two years, Illinois could be staring down the barrel of a “step back” season in 2026. The roster is losing star players at the three most important positions on the field: quarterback Luke Altmyer, left tackle JC […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
With the December Big Ten games and most of the non-conference season in the books, it is a good time to re-evaluate preseason expectations and see where Illinois stacks up in the conference. Please note that these are not power rankings (if they were, UCLA and Oregon would be much lower and Nebraska much higher), […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
Illinois and Missouri will face off in the annual Braggin’ Rights game on Monday, Dec. 22. The first meeting between the two programs took place on Dec. 21, 1932, when Illinois defeated Missouri 36-24 inside Brewer Fieldhouse. The Illini won the first four games of the rivalry and currently lead the all-time series 35-20. The […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
How to Watch Braggin’ Rights 2025 (Illinois vs. Missouri) Game Time: 7 p.m. Monday TV Channel: FS1 Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 68% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (8-3, 1-1 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Nebraska 83, Illinois 80 Gameday Reading: Missouri Tigers (10-2, 0-0 SEC) […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Midseason reinforcements are here. Illinois officially announced Tuesday night that Toni Bilic is joining the Illini effective immediately, but he will not play in any games. The 6-foot-8 inch, 210-pound forward/wing from Croatia will participate in practice and “focus on strength training and development,” the program announced in a statement. “Toni is a multi-positional, skilled […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It is an unprecedented time in college football. The college football transfer portal opens up Jan. 2, meaning coaches have to prepare for their biggest games of the season, work on keeping their current players in their building and all while looking at new players to bring onto campus. For Illinois head […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
On Dec. 30, the Illinois Fighting Illini will face the Tennessee Volunteers at Nissan Stadium in Nashville in the Music City Bowl. In the preseason both were thought to compete for the College Football Playoff. Both teams are 8-4 overall. The Illini were 5-4 in the Big Ten, and the Vols were 4-4 in the […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The stage has been set for the Illini’s matchup against the Tennessee Volunteers in this year’s Liberty Mutual Music City Bowl, but up until this weekend, uncertainties remained. Questions had been hovering across message boards and social media alike over who would be suiting up and who would be sitting out for […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
On this episode of “Oskee Talk” Brandt Dolce joins me to recap men’s basketball’s performances against Ohio State (8:56) and Nebraska (12:12), examine Illinois’ most concerning defensive stat (19:50), and discuss Illini fan overreactions (28:21). We scrutinize Brad Underwood’s stubbornness (30:58) and more officiating nonsense (38:29) before previewing next week’s matchup with Mizzou (50:09). We […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
The kid looks good. Keaton Wagler was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week on Monday. In his first two league games last week, Wagler averaged 21 points and 7.5 assists. He scored a career-high 23 points in the win over Ohio State, and followed that up with a double-double in the three-point loss to […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Illinois may never stop adding Balkan-born players to their roster. Jonathan Givony is reporting that Illinois has earned a commitment from Croatian forward Toni Bilic. The 6’9, 20-year-old is arriving during the semester break and is eligible to play immediately. Bilic was a member of Croatia’s FIBA U18 team in 2023 and was a part […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read
Illinois may never stop adding Balkan-born players to their roster. Jonathan Givony is reporting that Illinois has earned a commitment from Croatian forward Toni Bilic. The 6’9, 20-year-old is arriving during the semester break and is eligible to play immediately. Bilic was a member of Croatia’s FIBA U18 team in 2023 and was a part […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A lot of emotions from both head coaches, good shooting, and a fourth quarter run weren’t enough for the Mean Green in Champaign on Sunday. Behind Berry Wallace’s 28 points, Illinois continued its hot stretch to start the season with a 81-69 win over North Texas at State Farm Center. “It’s a […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
Former Illinois football head coach Mike White died Sunday at age 89, according to the program. White coached the Illini from 1980-87, leading them to a 47-41-3 record. He led Illinois to three bowl games, including the 1984 Rose Bowl. The Illini won the Big Ten title in 1983, becoming the only team ever to […]
about 1 month ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After a red-hot start to the season, sophomore Berry Wallace has had a slower start than expected in December. However, many at the Ubben basketball center weren’t worried that Wallace wouldn’t find her shot. On Wednesday, head coach Shauna Green had some blunt words about it. “I have no concerns about Barry […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
We all know at this point that it was disappointing how Illinois lost to Nebraska on Saturday at the buzzer. But Brad Underwood went viral after the loss when he explained why he sent freshman David Mirkovic to the bench. “David was in Serbia today,” Underwood said. “He wasn’t in this building… I couldn’t play […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Against an unbeaten Nebraska team built on experience, the Illini couldn’t quite complete the comeback in their first Big Ten test at State Farm Center. No. 13 Illinois dropped its first home game of the season Saturday, falling to No. 23 Nebraska 83-80 as the Cornhuskers stay unbeaten at 11-0. Despite a […]
about 1 month ago | 2 reads
CHAMPAIGN Ill. —The Illinois women’s basketball team is coming off a strong 70-62 wire-to-wire win over Missouri on Wednesday, and are now 9-1 through their first ten games of the season. This is their best start to a season since 1981-82 and a real testament to what head coach Shauna Green has done to the […]
about 1 month ago | 1 read