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The Champaign Room

https://www.thechampaignroom.com/ | 193 entries published

A Fighting Illini community since 2012

Latest Entries

Wagler and Mirkovic don’t look like freshmen for Illinois

Illinois picked up its first Big Ten win by beating Ohio State on the road Tuesday 88-80. This victory gives the Illini their second Quad 1 win of the year and an essential 1-0 start to conference play. The Illini freshmen came ready in their first true road game, leading Illinois throughout. David Mirkovic opened […]

about 8 hours ago | 0 reads

FanDuel: Big Ten bowl game picks and predictions

Bowl season is here, and while the Big Ten has three teams competing in the CFP, some of the league’s teams play their final game of the season as soon as this weekend. Here you’ll find a full schedule of Big Ten bowl games (non-CFP) with their odds from FanDuel Sportsbook, and a few of […]

about 14 hours ago | 0 reads

Illini come away with tough road win in Big Ten opener

COLUMBUS, OH. — A roadkill to start off conference play? You bet. Illinois (8-2, 1-0 B1G) took care of business at Value City Arena in Columbus on Tuesday night, beating Ohio State (7-2, 1-1 B1G) by a score of 88-80. Brad Underwood’s crew is headed back to Champaign with its third Quad 1 victory thanks […]

about 16 hours ago | 0 reads

What we’ve learned about Illinois through 1/3 of the season

Coming into this season, there was a belief that Illinois has a very talented team but with lots of new players and new roles, there were a lot of question marks. There was the potential for a special season, but if things didn’t gel right, it could look a lot like last year or the […]

1 day ago | 0 reads

Illinois’ offensive template remains the same

Brandt Dolce of The Champaign Room rejoins me to recap Illinois’ men’s basketball win over Tennessee in Nashville (3:42), discuss Brad Underwood’s offensive template (23:02) and the challenging schedule ahead (34:21), and preview this week’s Big Ten matchups versus Ohio State (41:11) and Nebraska (48:39). We also break women’s basketball’s dominant win against Indiana (61:09), […]

1 day ago | 0 reads

Illinois’ offensive template remains the same

Brandt Dolce of The Champaign Room rejoins me to recap Illinois’ men’s basketball win over Tennessee in Nashville (3:42), discuss Brad Underwood’s offensive template (23:02) and the challenging schedule ahead (34:21), and preview this week’s Big Ten matchups versus Ohio State (41:11) and Nebraska (48:39). We also break women’s basketball’s dominant win against Indiana (61:09), […]

1 day ago | 0 reads

Illinois moves up in AP poll after win over Tennessee

It’s a slow stretch of the schedule for Illinois, but it certainly picks up this week with two Big Ten games. But last week, the Illini played only one game, a 13-point win over No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville. With that win, Illinois made a leap in the AP poll, back up to No. 13 […]

2 days ago | 0 reads

Brad Underwood’s Illini can beat teams in multiple ways

If you told Brad Underwood before the Tennessee game that his team would be out-rebounded by 15 and still win, he probably wouldn’t have believed you. For a program that prides itself on dominating the glass, Illinois’ rebounding effort in Nashville was shocking. It was actually the second straight game that Illinois lost the battle […]

2 days ago | 0 reads

FanDuel: Illinois opens as underdog in Music City Bowl

For the third time in four years, Illinois is bowling. And for the second time in as many years, Illinois is hoping to win a bowl (and claim back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time… ever). But not so fast, my friend: The oddsmakers at FanDuel Sportsbook think the Illini have some work to do […]

3 days ago | 0 reads

Illinois Football heading to Music City Bowl for first time

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — For the second consecutive year the Illinois Fighting Illini are going bowling, as the team was selected to play in the Music City Bowl against Tennessee. The (8-4, 4-4 B1G) Illini are heading to Nashville, for their third bowl game in five years under head coach Bret Bielema. It’s Illinois’ first-ever appearance […]

3 days ago | 0 reads

Illinois bullies Indiana in Big Ten opener

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Shauna Green might have something special brewing in Champaign. Despite welcoming a host of new players this offseason, Illinois rolled Indiana in its Big Ten opener on Saturday, 78-57, at State Farm Center. The Hoosiers entered the game 8-1 overall only with a loss to No. 10 Iowa State, but the Illini […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

‘Super excited about this class’: Bielema talks 2026 recruits

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Dec. 3 marked a special day in the college football world, as the next generation of football stars signed their letters of intent on National Signing Day. In high school gyms and special gatherings across the country, players were declaring which college program they’d be bringing their talents to, much to the […]

4 days ago | 0 reads

Illinois ramps up conditioning before physical test at No. 13 Tennessee

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After a draining stretch of ranked matchups, head coach Brad Underwood had the Illini spend this week rediscovering their legs. Following back-to-back ranked losses against Alabama and UCONN, the No. 14 Illini traded rest for intensity this week to prepare for Saturday’s 7 p.m. tip at Bridgestone Arena against the No. 13 […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

The blueprint for an Illinois win against Tennessee

Illinois travels to Nashville on Saturday night for a matchup against Tennessee. Both teams are ranked inside the top 20-ranked teams, both in the AP poll (ILL: 14, TENN: 13) and KenPom (ILL:17, TENN:16). Each enters coming off frustrating offensive performances, both barely cracking 60 points. If you watched last year’s heart-wrenching, last-second finish against […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

The challenging streak Illinois hopes to snap Saturday

It’s no question that when Illinois plays a team it should beat, the Illini lay down the hammer. But when it’s a difficult game…. well, we know how it usually ends. The stats back that up: But the Illini are 0-2 this season away from Champaign, which includes losses to No. 11 Alabama (United Center) […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

Illini earn All-Big Ten honors after 8-4 season

After Illinois’ third eight-win regular season in four years, the Illini received plenty of accolades from the Big Ten. LT JC Davis was named All-Big Ten First Team, while wide receiver Hank Beatty made the conference’s Third Team after his do-it-all season on offense and special teams. On defense, no surprise here: Gabe Jacas, the […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

Tampa, Nashville, Vegas?: Where will Illinois go bowling

After a somewhat no-thrills win vs. Northwestern in a rare Thanksgiving weekend blizzard. the Illini ended the regular season with an 8-4 record and will play in a late December bowl game. The Illini handled both the weather and the Wildcats relatively well, but it was more about getting a lead and holding on to […]

5 days ago | 0 reads

REPORT: Illinois flips four-star OL from UCLA

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — 2026 offensive tackle Micah Smith has announced that he will be flipping his commitment from UCLA to Illinois. The No. 81 recruit in the 2026 class, according to ESPN, will be the highest-rated recruit in Bret Bielema’s tenure as the Illini head coach, and high-rated recruit since Martez Wilson in 2007. It […]

7 days ago | 0 reads

REPORT: Illinois flips four-star OL from UCLA

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — 2026 offensive tackle Micah Smith has announced that he will be flipping his commitment from UCLA to Illinois. The No. 81 recruit in the 2026 class, according to ESPN, will be the highest-rated recruit in Bret Bielema’s tenure as the Illini head coach, and high-rated recruit since Martez Wilson in 2007. It […]

7 days ago | 0 reads