A Fighting Illini community since 2012
A once-top target for John Groce’s Illinois staff has now won NBA Finals MVP. Jalen Brunson was the one of the top players in the 2015 class out of Stevenson (Lincolnshire) after winning the IHSA 4A state title. Brunson’s decision came down to the Illini and Villanova in late 2014. He went with the Wildcats. […]
It’s one of the biggest groups of newcomers in the Brad Underwood era at Illinois. And on Friday, the Illini revealed the jersey numbers for the seven offseason additions, which includes six high school products. Take a look there. Any specific numbers you like? Don’t like? Obviously there’s a great history with 11, so that […]
From childhood stories, Chili’s triple dipper orders, to the crazy world of college football, Bret Bielema truly covered it all during his interview on the Pardon My Take podcast. Illinois’ head coach joined the Barstool podcast for the fourth time earlier this month. Although some of the interview may have been on the fun side, […]
Illinois head football coach Bret Bielema was invited to Barstool’s office and interviewed on Pardon My Take after appearing on the show last summer with former Illini Luke Altmyer. Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote today: https://linkly.link/2k0Ei
Illini Isaac catches up with Mike Carpenter, formerly of The 200 Level, and recaps the 2026 Final Four run. The guys also discuss Carpenter’s retirement of his podcast and preview the 2026 Illinois Football team. Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote today: https://linkly.link/2k0Ei
The season is fast approaching, and Bret Bielema is beefing up his QB room. Illinois flipped Unity quarterback Dane Eisenmenger, the program announced on Wednesday. Eisenmenger had plans to play at Central Missouri this fall, but Illinois said he signed with the Illini. Eisenmenger’s Rockets lost in the 3A state title game to Byron in […]
Robby, Greg, and Isaac of TCR will battled to draft the best 31-0 team possible! Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote today: https://linkly.link/2k0Ei
Brad Underwood made a last-minute addition to his 2026 class. Illinois announced Monday that it signed Lincoln Williams, a 6-foot-5 guard from Kankakee. Williams averaged 26 points and six rebounds as a senior last year at Kankakee High School. He finished his high school career with 1,853 points. Williams is the sixth member of Illinois’ […]
Detroit Lions head coach, Dan Campbell, gave a shout out to former Illini, Luke Altmyer, at OTAs this week. The Detroit Free Press posted an article that features Dan Campbell’s comments about Luke Altmyer: “He doesn’t lack confidence, for sure,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “What we thought he would be at this point, I […]
I’m sure by now you’ve come across “82-0”, the viral online game where you get a decade and a NBA team, and you need to pick a player to fill each position. Your goal? To build a lineup that would go 82-0. Well, now there’s a chance to play the game with your favorite players […]
Is Brad Underwood already the greatest Illini Basketball coach of all-time? Or does someone else have a case? Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote today: https://linkly.link/2k0Ei
EA Sports College Football 27 comes out in a month, but the first trailer is released this week. And Illinois made a brief appearance toward the end of the trailer. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti narrated the video (he’s a cover “athlete” this year). And at 1:41 in the trailer, you see an Illini player — […]
Josh Whitman has made another hire — and they usually turn out pretty good. Jenna Hall is his pick to lead Illini softball into the future. Hall, a former All-American for Illinois, will be the third head coach in program history after Illinois fired Tyra Perry last month. Illinois said Hall agreed to a five-year […]
The Illini are coming off their best NCAA Tournament finish since 2005, reaching the Final Four as a No. 3 seed. Expectations for the 2026-27 season are even higher with five of the team’s top eight scorers returning for another year. Illinois was unable to capture either the Big Ten regular-season title or the conference […]
Just like Knicks star Jalen Brunson, Pope Leo left the state of Illinois for college and attended Villanova. But in a visit to the Vatican on Wednesday, Illinois State Rep. Kim Buckner gifted the first American pope a Fighting Illini football jersey. The blue jersey said Leo on the back and had the No. 14. […]
Quentin Coleman looks like the real deal. Coleman is competing this month with Team USA at the FIBA U-18 AmeriCup before he arrives on campus for his freshman season with the Illini. In his team’s first game on Monday, Coleman notched a double-double with 11 points and 15 rebounds (7 offensive). Not too bad for […]
Two Illini legends are hoping to join 18 former Illinois players in the College Football Hall of Fame this year. The 2027 ballot was released on Monday, and this year’s ballot includes Kevin Hardy and Simeon Rice. Overall, the ballot has 80 players and nine coaches from the FBS ranks. Hardy was the 1995 Butkus […]
Illini Isaac and Robby Nardini of The Champaign Room break down recent Illini news and then face off in a draft of Brad Underwood’s best wins at Illinois! Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote today: https://linkly.link/2k0Ei
On this episode of ‘Oskee Talk’ I discuss how Andrej Stojakovic’s return impacts the Fighting Illini’s bid for another Final Four (3:51) as well as incoming freshman Quentin Coleman earning a spot on Team USA (17:02). I also introduce Illinois’ newest women’s basketball recruits (23:15) and criticize the NCAA’s new international eligibility rules (30:20). Finally, […]
Last season was the beginning of a home-and-home series Illinois agreed to with Texas Tech. The inaugural game was Illinois’ first big assignment of the season, where No. 11 Texas Tech was outworked by No. 14 Illinois. The ranked matchup was nail biting to the end, when junior Andrej Stojakovic had a clutch block in […]
Conversations about a national championship don’t happen often in Champaign, but the Orange and Blue crowd has every reason to dream big this season. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place on May 27 when Andrej Stojakovic announced his return, locking in an Illinois roster that will enter the season with a target […]
Andrej Stojakovic will join a star-filled list of transfers to play two years under Brad Underwood. Illini Isaac reacts to Stojakovic going through the NBA Draft process and deciding to return to Champaign.
Illini Isaac is joined by Kyle Tausk, former TCR writer, to break down some of the recent Illinois Basketball headlines and preview the upcoming football season.
Football season is almost here — and now we can mark more games on the calendar. Illinois announced its kickoff times for its first three games of the 2026 season on Wednesday. The season will start at Memorial Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 3 against UAB. The game will start at 8 p.m. on Big Ten […]
On May 8, the NCAA released new eligibility guidelines that target international prospects who have spent time playing in pro leagues overseas. The guidelines are aiming to classify players from the EuroLeague, Spanish ACB and more as pro athletes rather than student athletes. It’s implied that the rule will be put in place to preserve […]