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The Champaign Room

A Fighting Illini community since 2012

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Illinois overscomes clunky start, extends winning streak to 10

CHAMPAIGN, ll. — Illinois head coach Brad Underwood admitted the team had an emotional letdown on Thursday night against Washington. “We came out flat,” He said. Perhaps a predictable product took the floor on Thursday night after a thrilling and historic Purdue upset at Mackey Arena last weekend. Because of it, Illinois freshman sensation Keaton […]

Parchment shines as Illini fall to No. 2 UCLA

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Even in a loss, Illinois’ freshmen are making headlines. Illinois fell 80-67 to No. 2 UCLA on Wednesday night at State Farm Center, but freshman Cearah Parchment continued her recent strong play with another standout performance. Parchment led all scorers with 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting and grabbed seven rebounds, building on […]

Betts, No. 2 UCLA too much down low for Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Too big of a hole against one of the two best teams in the country. Despite a valiant effort in the third quarter on Wednesday night at State Farm Center, Illinois didn’t have enough to gather one of the biggest upsets in program history, as the Illini fell to Lauren Betts and […]

How Tyler Underwood helped build Illinois’ historically efficient offense

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini are riding the longest winning streak since head coach Brad Underwood was appointed in 2017, and are searching for their 10th straight win Thursday night at State Farm Center against Washington. But how did they get here? Well, it’s fair to say that Underwood’s son, offensive coordinator Tyler Underwood, has […]

Keaton Wagler is rewriting Illinois’ record books

Illinois pulled off a huge upset of the Purdue Boilermakers in West Lafayette, 88-82, on Saturday. With the win, the Illini have established themselves as a relevant factor in the Big Ten race. The win demonstrated the next-man-up attitude. Against Maryland, it was Andrej Stojakovic who put up his best game of the year. Saturday, […]

Illinois faces its toughest challenge yet in No. 2 UCLA

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The UCLA Bruins are currently ranked No. 2 in the AP Poll and are coming into State Farm Center on Wednesday looking for their 14th straight win. Illinois head coach Shauna Green knows that this will be a tricky matchup for the Illini, but she isn’t counting her team out just yet. […]

Way-too-early reaction to Illinois’ 2026 schedule

The Big Ten released its schedule on Tuesday. The Illini received a favorable draw. Let’s have some fun with a way-too-early preview of the 2026 Illini football schedule. Non-Conference University of Alabama-Birmingham – September 5 Nick Saban disciple Alex Mortensen currently helms UAB. The former offensive coordinator has a sterling track record of producing high-powered […]

Illinois football’s 2026 schedule announced

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After tonight’s Big Ten Football schedule release, the Illini’s 2026 schedule has officially been set. To kick off the season, there will be three straight non-conference games at Gies Memorial Stadium, with Big Ten games beginning in week four. Illinois’ 2026 season will look like this: SEPT. 5 – v.s. UAB For the […]

Keaton Wagler cemented himself as Illinois’ best freshman ever

On this episode of ‘Oskee Talk’ I’m joined by TCR’s Robby Nardini & Brandt Dolce to discuss Illinois’ red-hot three-point shooting and revisit Keaton Wagler’s legendary performance at Purdue. We also break down the Fighting Illini’s historic offensive output and look ahead to a pivotal week in the Big Ten race. We also examine why […]

46-point outburst earns Keaton Wagler national honors

If everyone didn’t know the name Keaton Wagler before, they know it now. The Illinois freshman earned a host of national and Big Ten honors after his record-setting 46-point outburst in the Illini’s upset over then-No. 4 Purdue. Wagler was named National Player of the Week by Naismith Trophy, Lute Olson Award, Field of 68, […]

Illinois jumps up in AP poll after Wagler’s legendary day

Keaton Wagler has carried Illinois back into the top 10. Illinois checked in at No. 9 in Monday’s AP poll, up from No. 11 last week. But it was a big week for the Illini who won two more games to extend their winning streak to nine — and it was punctuated by Keaton Wagler’s […]

TCR Bracketology 5.0: Keaton Wagler Appreciation Week

I had a different, more bracketology related introduction written for this week’s article, but like Matt Painter’s defensive gameplan, Keaton Wagler made me throw it in the trash. Much has already been said about Keaton’s historic performance on The Champaign Room already, and yet it still does not do the magnitude of the performance justice. […]

Three former Illini heading to Super Bowl LX

Three former Illini are heading to Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara. Devon Witherspoon punched his ticket Sunday night when the Seahawks held off the Rams in a thriller in the NFC Championship. Tommy DeVito and Vederian Lowe qualified earlier in the day when the Patriots took down the Broncos. Witherspoon had two fourth-quarter pass […]

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

How to Watch Illinois vs. Washington Game Time: 8 p.m. Thursday TV Channel: FS1 Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 90.2% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: No. 11 Illinois Fighting Illini (17-3, 8-1 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 88, Purdue 82 Gameday Reading: Washington Huskies (10-9, 2-6 Big Ten) […]

Illinois women’s late push not enough at Nebraska

LINCOLN, Neb. – Another tough-ranked away matchup proves too much for Illinois. Illinois fell 81–75 to No. 24 Nebraska on Saturday afternoon in Lincoln, but the final score hardly told the full story of a game defined by resilience, physicality and a second-half surge that forced the Cornhuskers to earn every possession down the stretch. […]

Keaton Wagler, you are a legend.

“You can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.” – Dan Patrick Keaton Wagler has been nothing short of a revelation this season. That’s not news. That’s not a hot take. The freshman has met every single level of ascendingly hyperbolic praise with certainty. He’s not the kind of flashy AAU product that […]

Illinois deputy athletic director leaving for Oklahoma

Josh Whitman’s top assistant is leaving for a higher post. Oklahoma announced Friday that it is hiring Illinois deputy athletic director and chief operating officer Roger Denny to be the university’s next athletic director. According to ESPN, Denny’s legal background and skillset for the “new era” made him attractive for the Sooners. “Oklahoma has a […]

What Illinois needs from Stojakovic with Boswell out

The Illini are hoping the junior can take it to another level on both ends of the floor with their starting PG out. When I first heard about Kylan Boswell’s hand injury, my mind immediately shifted to Mihailo Petrovic. Which makes a bit of sense, considering he is the backup point guard to Boswell, and […]

Who Illinois needs to step up in Boswell’s absence

Tuesday, Brad Underwood broke news that senior guard Kylan Boswell suffered a fractured right hand in practice and will miss three to four weeks. The hope is he will return by mid-February. Boswell was having a great season, averaging 31.7 minutes, with 14.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 3.6 assists. He has been a stalwart on […]

How Illinois will navigate without Kylan Boswell

After receiving news Tuesday that guard Kylan Boswell will miss several weeks with a fractured hand, Illinois finds itself facing major questions about how it will navigate the upcoming month without its veteran leader. Boswell is expected to miss several weeks and a return to action in mid-February is likely for the guard. Before being […]