A Fighting Illini community since 2012
Just under a week away from the return of Illinois basketball, the Illini got two major opportunities in October before revving up for regular-season action. The preseason slate consisted of two matchups: Illinois State (exhibition) and Florida (closed-door scrimmage). As we’ve seen in previous seasons, the Illini once again had opportunities to get a taste […]
3 months ago | 1 read
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini suffered a tough loss against Washington on Saturday, but they still have a lot of football to play this season. To round out their 2025 campaign, Illinois has four games remaining on the schedule with Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern coming to town and a road matchup against Wisconsin. Currently sitting […]
3 months ago | 1 read
4. UCLA Predicted Starting Lineup Donovan Dent, Senior, 20.4 ppg/2.3 rpg/6.4 apg/1.4 spg at New Mexico Look for Mick Cronin to pick up the pace this year, because his prize transfer is best as a road runner in the open floor. Dent shot 40% from three but is selective of when he will let it […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Shauna Green had to rebuild her roster this offseason, but she’s already being hampered by injures before the season even tips off. Illinois announced on Tuesday that freshmen Erica Finney and Manuella Alves will miss the 2025-26 season with injuries. Finney, a 6-foot guard from Australia, joined the program last December as a four-star recruit. […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois guard Kylan Boswell is receiving national attention before the season even tips off. The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame released the 20-man watchlist for the 2026 Jerry West Award Tuesday, honoring the top shooting guard in collegiate basketball. Entering the award’s 12th year, Illinois senior guard Kylan Boswell earned a spot […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
We are now less than one week away from Illinois tipping off their 2025-26 campaign at the State Farm Center against Jackson State. Injuries have been an issue for the Illini throughout the offseason, and it remains unclear who will be fully healthy to start the year. Nonetheless, I’ve shared my official game-by-game predictions for […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
On this episode I’m joined by TCR’s Brandt Dolce & Pleas Honeywood to discuss Illinois’ 42-25 loss at Washington (4:03). We also offer our evaluations of where things stand with the program (12:57), what action can Bret Bielema take (20:46), and big picture thoughts entering the final month of the season (27:26). We expand on […]
3 months ago | 1 read
Ayo Dosunmu: Most Improved Player? Wouldn’t be the first time we’ve said that about the Illinois legend in his NBA career, but this year it looks legit. After a 21-point outburst in the Bulls’ win over the Hawks on Monday, Chicago is 3-0 and Ayo is red-hot to start off year five. He’s averaging 16.7 […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
Illinois point guard Mihailo Petrovic has officially been cleared for the 2025-26 college basketball season by the NCAA, according to a team spokesperson. Petrovic has been classified as a sophomore, meaning he has three years of eligibility remaining. Petrovic is 22 years old. The Serbian point guard averaged 14.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 2.8 rebounds […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Illinois soccer has earned the opportunity to continue its record-setting 2025 season. The bracket was revealed for the 10-team, single-elimination Big Ten Women’s Soccer Tournament on Sunday, with the Orange & Blue clinching the #9 seed. Illinois will match up with 8-seed Ohio State this Thursday at Purdue University, with the victors advancing to play […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
The CFP is out of the picture, but Illinois needs a win in the worst way. And FanDuel Sportsbook has the Illini as a big favorite to beat Rutgers in Champaign this weekend. Illinois opened Sunday as a 12.5-point favorite over the Scarlet Knights. The moneyline for the Illini is -465, while the over/under is […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
Illinois checks in at No. 6 in KenPom’s 2025-26 Preseason Ratings, something I believe that pleasantly surprised many Illini fans. That is a decent-sized jump from the No. 17 spot awarded to them in the preseason AP Poll. KenPom is a predictive model that ranks teams based on a set of advanced efficiency metrics. The […]
3 months ago | 1 read
SEATTLE — After losing to the Washington Huskies on the road, the Illini fall to 5-3 on the season, a record that will likely put them out of reach of making the College Football Playoff. The narrative surrounding Saturday’s game was that it was a playoff elimination game, meaning that if either the Illini or […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
SEATTLE, Wash. — Whenever there is rain and heavy winds forecasted for a football game, many fans assume the game will be a defensive slugfest. Washington did not get that memo in their dismantling of the Fighting Illini. The Washington Huskies offense had their way with the Illini defense, scoring touchdowns on six of eight […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
SEATTLE, WASHINGTON — There was always a potential for turbulence on Saturday afternoon, with slippery conditions looming at a consistently hostile Husky Stadium on top of a West Coast cross-country trip. But no-show performance on defense led to a second-half collapse to Washington, 42 – 25. With Saturday’s loss, Illinois lost any hope of maintaining […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
We’re already seeing that Brad Underwood has confidence in his true freshmen this year with Brandon Lee and Keaton Wagler. So it’s no shock that BU keeps hitting the high school ranks for prospects, even in the era of the transfer portal. In a social media post on Friday, four-star guard Lucas Morillo committed to […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
Never feels like Illinois gets that kind of call. Luke Altmyer threw a pick in the endzone, just before the two-minute timeout at Washington on Saturday. But an official threw a flag for interference and it turned a 2nd & 20 interception, into a 1st & goal for the Illini. I wish I could find […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
To steal from the once popular Kim Possible: “HERE’S THE SITCH” The Fighting Illini football team sits at a 5-2 record with five games left. It starts this weekend in Seattle vs. the Washington Huskies. The Huskies are 5-2 as well, and even though Illinois is back in the rankings at No. 23, they are […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
The Illini head to Seattle this weekend for a daunting matchup against a stacked Washington Huskies squad. Both teams enter the game 5-2. To help break down Jedd Fisch’s squad, we asked Mark Schafer of our sister site the UW Dawg Pound to provide deeper insight. The Champaign Room: Illinois has found some success in […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
On this episode of “Oskee Talk” former Illini men’s basketball manager Robby Nardini joins me to review Illinois’ exhibition win versus Illinois State & look ahead to the regular season. We also take a deeper dive into the non-conference and Big Ten schedules and predict win totals for men’s & women’s hoops. Click HERE to […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The 2022 Illinois Fighting Illini defense was good. Like, really really good. So good that one player from the secondary was a top-five pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. So good that two other defenders were drafted in the second and fourth round. So good that a young defensive coordinator was hired […]
3 months ago | 0 reads
How to Watch No. 23 Illinois at Washington Game Time: 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday TV Channel: BTN Online Streaming: FoxSports.com Odds: ILL +4.5, O/U 54.5 Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) Head Coach: Bret Bielema (5th season, 33-24 overall) Last Game: 34-16 loss to Ohio State Gameday Reading: Washington Huskies (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) Head coach: Jedd […]
3 months ago | 3 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After their first bye week of the season, the No. 23 Illini are faced with a tall task in heading to the West Coast to take on the Washington Huskies. Playing in Seattle, at Husky Stadium, has been historically difficult for opposing teams. Over the past three years, the Huskies have thrived […]
3 months ago | 2 reads
9. Oregon Predicted Starting Lineup Jackson Shelstad, Junior, 13.7 ppg/2.9 rpg/2.7 apg Shelstad is a lightning quick three-level scorer who only needs a sliver of space to find a path to the rim or get up a pull-up jumper. He just sustained a hand injury that will keep him out 4-6 weeks but should be […]
3 months ago | 1 read
It seems like Brad Underwood’s Illinois teams get deeper every single season. For each of the past several seasons, offseason hoops talks revolve around how much talent and depth Underwood has accumulated. That depth was on display in Illinois’ first public showing on Sunday, a 92-65 win in an exhibition against Illinois State. Despite three […]
3 months ago | 1 read