A Fighting Illini community since 2012
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 […]
5 months ago | 4 reads
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 […]
5 months ago | 1 read
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 […]
5 months ago | 2 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 […]
5 months ago | 1 read
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 […]
5 months ago | 6 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 […]
5 months ago | 7 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 […]
5 months ago | 4 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 […]
5 months ago | 2 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 […]
5 months ago | 4 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 […]
5 months ago | 2 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 […]
5 months ago | 6 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 […]
5 months ago | 6 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 […]
5 months ago | 5 reads
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 […]
5 months ago | 5 reads
Illinutgers 2025 will be on NBC. The Big Ten announced on Monday that Illinois’ Nov. 1 showdown vs. Rutgers will kick off at 11 a.m. from Champaign. The game is already sold out, the Illini’s fourth consecutive sellout. It’s also Dads Day. There are two more home games on the schedule after Rutgers. It’s Maryland […]
5 months ago | 4 reads
Illinois cruised to a 92-65 win over Illinois State in their exhibition game at State Farm Center on Sunday. Tomislav Ivisic, Andrej Stojakovic, and Mihailo Petrovic did not play due to injury, but the Illini freshmen stepped up in a big way. “I was very pleased with our freshmen,” said head coach Brad Underwood. Montenegrin […]
5 months ago | 3 reads
An Illini love story. Hours after Illinois’ exhibition win over Illinois State, forward Ben Humrichous made headlines on Instagram, announcing his engagement to former Illini women’s basketball star Adalia McKenzie. “All I can say is… Praise God!!” Humrichous wrote in the post. It’s not clear to me when they started dating, but I’d be led […]
5 months ago | 5 reads
14. Nebraska Predicted Starting Lineup Kendall Blue, Senior, 12.3 ppg/4.4 rpg/2.4 apg at Saint Thomas Blue was an efficient scorer in the Summit League last year, shooting 51% from the field and 42% from three. He has some secondary creation ability, but isn’t really a natural point guard. Connor Essegian, Senior, 10.7 ppg/2.8 rpg/1.1 apg […]
5 months ago | 6 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois’ newcomers look pretty good. International additions David Mirkovic and Zvonimir Ivisic delivered a promising performance to Illinois fans in the Illini’s 92-65 exhibition win over Illinois State on Sunday afternoon at State Farm Center. With the Illini missing three key players in Andrej Stojakovic, Mihailo Petrovic and Tomislav Ivisic, fans were […]
5 months ago | 5 reads
Well, well, well. A week off from football did the Illini well in the eyes of the voters. After being dropped from No. 17 to unranked after a 34-16 loss to Ohio State, Bret Bielema’s crew found itself back in the top 25 on Sunday after a bunch of losses by teams at the bottom […]
5 months ago | 2 reads
Illinois has only traveled to the west coast once since the Pac-12 schools joined the Big Ten, and we don’t need to relive that tragedy in Eugene. The Illini find themselves in Seattle next week, and the fine people at FanDuel don’t like their chances. Illinois (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) opened on Sunday as a […]
5 months ago | 4 reads
As the Fighting Illini enter the bye week at 5-2, and one win away from being bowl eligible, you can not help but think, is there really any chance the Illini have to make the College Football Playoff? Well I am here to tell you there is a path, and it is not one that […]
5 months ago | 4 reads
After the 34-16 loss to Ohio State, the Illini have the week off. Now, of course, they will use the time to get some players fully healthy, such as Kaden Feagin and Ca’Lil Valentine, to name a couple. but some glaring questions will have to be answered before next weekend’s trip to Seattle to take […]
5 months ago | 5 reads
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After being one of the last teams in the country to have their first bye week, the Illini finally get the week off after playing seven straight games to start the season. For a team that’s had its fair share of injuries, depth concerns and hard-fought battles, Illinois is certainly going to […]
5 months ago | 4 reads
We are beyond the halfway point in the 2025 college football season. The 5-2 Fighting Illini are in a prime position to have back-to-back 9+ win seasons. There is a lot for the Illini to build on during the bye week. The offensive line has improved. Dylan Rosiek has reclaimed his excellence. Matthew Bailey and […]
5 months ago | 4 reads