The Champaign Room
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Illinois really did it. The Illini are Final Four bound.
One more win against a Big Ten team. More specifically, one more win against a Big Ten team they already defeated this season. That was the barrier between the Fighting Illini and their first trip to the Final Four since two months into the second term of the 43rd POTUS. The draw fell ideally in […]
Illinois advances to first Final Four since 2005
HOUSTON — Indy, here we come. For the first time since the legendary Fighting Illini team of 2004-05, Illinois is heading to the NCAA Tournament’s Final Four. Illinois punched its ticket to Indianapolis with a 71-59 win over Big Ten rival No. 9 Iowa in the South Region Final on Saturday night in Houston. The […]
Illinois prepares for Elite Eight battle with rival Iowa
All that stands in the way of Illinois’ first Final Four appearance since 2005 is…Iowa. Brad Underwood, Keaton Wagler, Kylan Boswell, and Andrej Stojakovic met with media ahead of the team’s biggest game of the year. A rematch with much higher stakes Illinois and Iowa met once already this season. The Illini took care of […]
Three keys for Illinois to beat Iowa and advance to Final Four
Just how we all drew it up. For Illinois to advance to its first Final Four in two decades and have a shot at a national championship, the team standing in its way will be the… Iowa Hawkeyes. Yep. We wouldn’t want it any other way. So what does Illinois — which opened as a […]
Déjà vu lifts Illinois to verge of Final Four
Two years ago, Illinois rolled into the round of 16. They were in a 2 vs. 3 matchup. Their opponent was a top 10ish program with a top 10ish coach. It was described as a matchup of the potent Illinois offense against its opponent’s elite defense. Two years ago, Illinois had a dominant superstar guard […]
How Illinois exorcised demons in thrilling Sweet Sixteen win
HOUSTON — A herd of orange lingered on the court as an empty Toyota Center sat ablaze with a buzz. Behind the crowd, Kylan Boswell bit his jersey, full of unbridled joy, Illinois had knocked out Houston 65-55 to advance to the Elite Eight. But this moment, this milestone, this achievement, was never a guarantee. […]
The WILD reaction at KAMS after Illinois punches ticket to Elite Eight
We all know KAMS is the place to be on campus. Of course, as a 2019 graduate of the university, I’m referring to old KAMS, but I’ve also ventured inside the new KAMS back in 2020, and it’s pretty good! And on Thursday night, it was pretty WILD. TCR’s Cooper O’Kelly on the ground at […]
Opening Odds for Illinois’ Elite Eight showdown with Iowa — and how to watch
How to Watch No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 9 Iowa (NCAA Tournament Elite Eight) Game Time: 5:09 p.m. Saturday TV Channel: TBS/TruTV Online Streaming: March Madness Live Odds: Illinois -5.5, O/U 137.5 (FanDuel Sportsbook) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (27-8, 15-5 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 65, Houston 55 (Sweet 16) Iowa […]
Illinois knocks off No. 2 Houston, heading to Elite Eight
HOUSTON – Facing KenPom’s No. 4-ranked defense, one that only gives up 62 points-per-game, Illinois simply had to want it more to come out victorious in an arena filled with Cougar red. It was clear that they did indeed want it more. The Illini walked into Houston and fought for a 65-55 win in a […]
Illinois has reverted to midseason form in the NCAA Tournament
Back in December through early February, when Illinois went 12-0, the Illini were one of the top three-point shooting teams. They were out-rebounding teams by double-digits. They got as high as No. 5 in the AP Poll on Feb. 2. Then, after the Michigan State loss in overtime, the Illini struggled down the stretch, going […]
An Illinois Sweet Sixteen win will springboard skeptics into silence
In this “Oskee Talk” extra I recap the Illini women’s NCAA Tournament loss to Vanderbilt (3:20), recognize this season’s standout performances (7:06), and discuss the team’s possible offseason plans (12:40). I also take a closer look at the men’s Sweet 16 pairings (17:22), revisit the history between Houston & Illinois (23:34), including the March Madness […]
Illini look to match Houston’s tenacity in high-stakes Sweet 16 brawl
HOUSTON — Illinois head coach Brad Underwood isn’t worried about No. 2 Houston’s home advantage for the Sweet 16 showdown. “We’ve won on the road all year,” Underwood said. And he’s right: the Illini won eight out of ten road games in the Big Ten this season. “It’s no different than going into West Lafayette […]
Houston player to know — and 3 ways Illinois can win
Another trip to the Sweet Sixteen for Brad Underwood and the Illini, and another tough, physical Big 12 2-seed awaiting them. Houston arrives to the Sweet Sixteen in similar dominating fashion as the Illini have, with 31-point victories over two double-digit seeds. A lot of the talk so far has been about how can Illinois […]
Wagler vs. Flemings: Freshman phenoms face off in Houston
Illinois will head to Houston on Thursday night for a matchup with the Houston Cougars at the Toyota Center. The Illini will travel more than 900 miles for the game, while Houston will be playing in its home city. This will be a rematch of the 2022 Round of 32, when the five-seeded Cougars defeated […]
Illinois wrestling places 15th at NCAA Championship
Illinois placed 15th at this weekend’s NCAA Wrestling Championships with two Fighting Illini earning All-American honors. Kannon Webster placed fifth at 157lb and former NCAA champ Lucas Byrd finished eighth at 133lb. Byrd wrapped up his illustrious Illini career by adding “four time All-American” to his resume, and his 2025 national title run is easily the […]
Illini have come a long way since their last NCAA tournament matchup against Houston
On March 20, 2022, the Illini lost a 68-53 game against Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars. The loss, while expected, was particularly galling. The loss came against a Houston team built to beat teams like Illinois. And let’s be clear: this game was one of the first attempts by Brad Underwood to build a roster that […]
Illinois takes two of three games from Rutgers
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Fighting Illini made a brief comeback from their slump over the weekend. Illinois hosted Rutgers for a three-game conference series, going 2-1 after falling in the series finale. Illinois now has a 12-10 record on the season. Immediately coming into the first matchup, the Illini plated nine runs in the first […]
‘Iron sharpens iron’: Bielema’s first impressions of Illini spring ball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — To most, March on college campuses means buzzer beaters and all the madness that comes with the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. For all the college football fanatics, on the other hand, it means the start of spring practices, something that’s underway in Champaign for the Illini. For Illinois head coach […]
Why Illinois is ready potential road game feel in March Madness
Illinois got quite the draw in the Sweet Sixteen. While an opportunity to play Big Ten foe Nebraska or Iowa in the Elite Eight (with a trip to the Final Four on the line) awaits the Illini, first they have to get by No. 2 Houston… in Houston. Thursday night’s late tip will be in […]
Illinois falls to No. 2 Vanderbilt in Round of 32
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Not the result you hope for, but nonetheless, what a season from Illinois. The orange and blue showed a lot of heart on Monday night in Nashville. After a slow start out of the gate, the Illini were pesky and took what they could get against the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt Commodores. […]
Brad’s “Basketbalkans” launch Illinois into the Sweet 16
On this episode of “Oskee Talk” I review Illinois’ NCAA Tournament wins over Penn (3:57) and VCU (10:33) as well as call out Brad Underwood’s critics (19:49). I also revisit the Illini’s history with Sweet 16 opponent Houston (28:11), break down the analytics comparing the two sides (33:28) and discuss the matchups I’m most looking […]
How to Watch Illinois vs. Houston: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds
How to Watch No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston (NCAA Tournament Sweet 16) Game Time: ~9:05 p.m. CT Thursday TV Channel: TBS/TruTV Online Streaming: March Madness Live Odds: Illinois +2.5 (FanDuel) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (26-8, 15-5 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 76, VCU 55 Gameday Reading: Houston Cougars (30-6, […]
Will Illinois win the South Region? Picks, predictions for Sweet 16
Let me start with the fact that I’m too young to remember much from Illinois’ run to the national championship game in 2005. I was eight years old, and while I was a fan of the Illini, I didn’t really understand what was going on. The 20 years since have been a mix of good […]
Illinois Athletics is in rarified air with NCAA Tourney wins
Shauna Green’s team will have a chance to get to the Sweet Sixteen on Monday night against No. 2 Vanderbilt. I don’t think many of us expect the Illini to pull off the upset, but they did win a NCAA Tournament game for the second consecutive season. So did Brad Underwood’s team this weekend, when […]
The Croatian call of Big Z’s big dunk is INCREDIBLE
If you still can’t get over Big Z’s massive block and dunk — like me — then here’s another way to relive it. On Croatian TV. TCR’s Thumpasaurus made us aware of this brilliant clip from Bluesky on Sunday. It’s incredible. Zero idea what’s being said. ZERO. But I love it. I need the whole […]
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