A Fighting Illini community since 2012
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, […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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, […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months ago | 1 read
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2 months 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 […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
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 […]
2 months ago | 4 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months ago | 2 reads
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. […]
2 months 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), […]
2 months 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) […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months 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 […]
2 months ago | 0 reads