Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball News - Page 2

Brad Underwood made a clear statement involving the Final Four after the No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini’s 90-86 loss to the No. 11 Alabama Crimson Tide on Wednesday night. Going into the matchup, Illinois was off to a great start with a 4-0 record. They had wins over Jackson State, Florida Gulf Coast, ranked Texas […]

Alabama found the jolt it needed Wednesday night in Chicago, and it came from a player who had not taken the floor in any of the Crimson Tide’s first three regular-season games. Sophomore forward Keitenn Bristow made his debut in a 90-86 win over Illinois and delivered an impact that both head coaches said changed […]

The No. 8 Illinois Fighting Illini face their toughest test yet on Wednesday night against No. 11 Alabama at the United Center in Chicago. The 4-0 start has been impressive, but a major question looms over the matchup. Star center Tomislav Ivisic remains sidelined with a right knee bone bruise suffered in practice. Ivisic’s status […]

So far during the first couple of weeks of the 2025-26 men’s college basketball season, ranked teams have been dominating inferior competition. More high-profile matchups are right around the corner. While there will be more clarity after this week, a fair amount has already changed since ClutchPoints released the preseason power rankings, but how do […]

On Nov. 11, Illinois men’s basketball made a big statement by defeating Texas Tech 81-77. Then, Illinois was ranked No. 14 and Texas Tech was ranked No. 11. Fast forward one week, and Illinois finds itself in the Top 10 of the AP rankings, per On3Sports.com. They are now the No. 8 team in the […]

The 2025 Illinois basketball team has considerable potential to make a significant impact in the Big Ten and nationally, especially after its win over Texas Tech. One of the reasons is the emergence of all the European players they have brought to the team over the last two seasons. Their biggest key, Tomislav Ivisic, has […]

Andrej Stojakovic is on a mission to be just like his father, Peja. Peja Stojakovic was an elite hooper who could drain shots from anywhere on the court. His son plays just like him. Andrej started his career with Stanford two seasons ago and then transferred to Cal Berkeley ahead of last season. After one […]

After the Texas Tech basketball team lost to the Florida Gators in the Elite Eight last season, the program had high expectations heading into the current year. With the Texas Tech basketball program signing head coach Grant McCasland to an extension after the deep run in the tournament, the team is off to a 2-1 […]

Illinois basketball was a bit of a unique case last season, as the Illini were very competitive in Big Ten play but flamed out in the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament. This season, Brad Underwood and company are trying to raise the bar even more. The Illini got off to a good start with […]

Indeed, five games into the NBA season don’t determine the eventual outcome. But there is no denying that there is something special about the Chicago Bulls, and in particular, their interchangeable guard, Ayo Dosunmu.  On Friday, the Bulls defeated the New York Knicks by a score of 135-125 to start off 5-0. Plus, the last […]

The eastern European movement in Champaign, Illinois took a step forward on Monday when the NCAA cleared Illini men’s basketball’s Mihailo Petrovic to play. A point guard who has not yet played college basketball, Petrovic is classified as a sophomore with three years of eligibility, Illinois announced. The Illini will open the regular season on […]

When the Illinois Fighting Illini open up the 2025-26 season, they will an intriguing newcomer on their roster in big man Zvonimir Ivisic. Ivisic committed to Illinois after entering the transfer portal following last season, and he’s one of the more skilled centers in the Big Ten. But there was one major change that Zvonimir […]

When it comes to Illinois basketball coach Brad Underwood, who recently signed a six-year $4.4 million contract extension, he goes global. In other words, he makes it a point to recruit international players, and he does so for a reason, according to The Field of 68.  Ultimately, Underwood says he sees something overseas that others […]

The 2004-05 Illinois Fighting Illini team is arguably the greatest team in program history. With Bruce Weber as head coach and stars such as Deron Williams, Dee Brown and Luther Head, that Illinois team made it to the national championship game before falling to North Carolina, 75-70. Although that Fighting Illini team did not win […]

Since it was announced a few months ago that Illinois basketball guard Ty Rodgers would be out indefinitely with a knee injury, the fanbase has been wondering if there is a possible update regarding the junior. With the Illinois basketball team led by head coach Brad Underwood, he would give insight into a possible update […]

One of the biggest winners of the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft was Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini as a program overall. Illinois had two players drafted in the first round, and they were drafted back-to-back. After Kasparas Jakučionis and Will Riley were drafted, this was the dawn […]

Night one of the 2025 NBA Draft was an exciting one for the Illinois basketball program as the Fighting Illini had two players drafted in the first round. Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley were both selected on Wednesday night, and to make the situation even cooler, they were taken on back-to-back picks. Jakucionis was selected […]

Illinois basketball guard Kasparas Jakucionis’ shocking NBA Draft fall led to an incredible back-to-back Illini moment. The Vilnius, Lithuania native was not supposed to drop to No. 20 overall, but he is a terrific prospect who has all the tools to contribute right away at the next level. Jackucionis will now join a Miami Heat […]

Former Illinois men’s basketball standout Will Riley is expected to go somewhere in the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft on Wednesday night and when he does, he will have taken a global route to get there. Originally from Canada, Riley was a consensus five-star recruit when he committed to Brad Underwood and the […]

Illinois men’s basketball is expected to be in the top 25 conversation when the 2025-26 season starts, but the Illini may be without a key piece. Guard Ty Rodgers sustained a knee injury during a pickup basketball game, head coach Brad Underwood announced on Monday. The Saginaw, Michigan native will need surgery, according to Underwood. […]

The UConn Huskies and the Illinois Fighting Illini are reportedly on the verge of making official a Black Friday date at Madison Square Garden in New York, according to college basketball insider Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports and College Hoops Today. “NEWS: UConn and Illinois are finalizing an agreement to meet on November 28th — […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves demolished the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 3 of their Western Conference Finals series on Saturday night, but before tipoff, Minnesota rookie and former Illinois basketball star Terrence Shannon Jr. paid tribute to his college coach. Shannon entered the Target Center that night wearing the popular “Bradimir” t-shirt that references Brad Underwood’s […]

Wednesday has been a big day for the Illinois football team on the recruiting trail, and its latest commitment will play for the Illinois basketball team as well. Four-star athlete Nasir Rankin announced his commitment to the Fighting Illini on Wednesday, and he will play both football and basketball. He is viewed as a better […]

University of Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood has agreed to a six-year contract extension that will keep him in Champaign through the 2030-31 season, the university announced on Tuesday. The deal, which is pending Illinois Board of Trustees approval, will pay Underwood an annual salary of $4.4 million, according to ESPN’s Jeff Borzello. He […]

What a time it is to be a college sports fan. With the transfer portal and coaching carousel churning out storylines well into the spring, college basketball is finding new ways to take up more of the sports calendar. Sometimes that means Illinois men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood posting AI-generated pictures of himself after landing […]

After flaming out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Illinois basketball is having a massive offseason in the transfer portal. On Monday, Brad Underwood and his staff secured another huge commitment, this time from former California star Andrej Stojakovic, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Stojakovic started his career at Stanford in 2023-24, but […]

The Illinois basketball team has had a lot of recent success recruiting overseas, and the Fighting Illini picked up their third European commit of the offseason on Tuesday. Serbian star Mihailo Petrovic announced his commitment to Illinois. He is currently an MVP candidate in the Adriatic League. He is one of the best scorers in […]

Monday has been a difficult, but not unexpected day for Illinois basketball. Just hours after star point guard Kasparas Jakucionis declared for the NBA Draft, standout wing Will Riley also announced his intentions to go pro this summer. Riley reclassified into the Class of 2024 coming out of high school and played for Illinois during […]

Illinois basketball was one of the most talented teams in the country last season, but now Brad Underwood is losing one of his top players. Standout freshman Kasparas Jakucionis is officially entering the NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. Jakucionis is a projected lottery pick and has been all season, and he could even […]

Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood continues to make splashes on the European recruiting front. The latest coup comes in the form of Montenegrin big man David Mirkovic, who committed to Underwood and the Fighting Illini on Monday night, per ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. The 19-year-old averages 8.8 points and 6.7 rebounds in 23 minutes per […]

Brad Underwood has quietly built Illinois basketball into one of the more consistent programs in the country, guiding the team to six straight NCAA Tournament appearances. Maintaining such consistency in the modern era requires a coach to be more persuasive and active on the recruiting trail and transfer market than ever before. Though, Underwood probably […]

Illinois basketball fans were pretty upset in recent days thanks to the news that key contributors Morez Johnson and Tre White were entering the transfer portal, with Johnson then sticking the dagger in further by committing to Michigan. However, the Fighting Illini got some good news when Ty Rodgers, who surprisingly redshirted this past season, […]

Like many former college basketball stars, Meyers Leonard is not a fan of how the game has changed. As a former lottery pick out of Illinois, Leonard reflected on how his career went and how he feels the college basketball transfer portal does not allow for many similar journeys. As the 2025 offseason once again […]

There’s no question that Illinois basketball was a very talented squad this season, but Brad Underwood and company didn’t quite meet expectations after bowing out in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in a blowout loss to Kentucky. One of the main reasons why Illinois found itself dropping a lot of regular season games […]

Illinois basketball will have a roster to remodel after its March Madness run under Brad Underwood. The Illini looks like they’ll lose talent to one-and-done decisions ahead of the NBA Draft. Forward Morez Johnson Jr. and guard Tre White are also in the college basketball transfer portal. Guards Kasparas Jakucionis and Will Riley are teetering […]

The Illinois basketball team saw its season come to an end last weekend in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Fighting Illini had a solid year as they earned a six-seed in the tournament, but they couldn’t get past Kentucky to make it to the second weekend. The season is over, and since […]

Brad Underwood and the No. 6 seed Illinois basketball are no longer in contention for the 2025 NCAA Tournament title after getting bounced out of the Big Dance by the No. 3 seed Kentucky Wildcats on Sunday in a second-round showdown at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee. The early exit from the tourney meant that Illinois […]

After enduring a rough stretch to conclude the regular season, it appears that Illinois basketball is back to playing its game. Head coach Brad Underwood, and the Illini gave a quality showing against a hungry Xavier team on Friday, putting the wraps on a historic NCAA Tournament feat for the Big Ten. Underwood fielded questions […]

For years and years, the Big Ten has been known as one of the conferences that consistently comes up short in the NCAA Tournament.  However, that has not been the case this year. The conference absolutely steamrolled through the Round of 64 on Thursday and Friday, finishing with a perfect 8-0 record. Now, with eight […]