Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball News - Page 3

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 […]

These are two of the hottest teams in the Big Ten, and both could use a win to increase their momentum and improve their seeding before the NCAA Tournament. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Illinois-Maryland prediction and pick. Illinois is 21-11 this season and has won four straight games. […]

Illinois basketball ended one last Big Ten Tournament run for Payton Sandfort Thursday. The decorated Iowa forward left the game near the one minute mark of the second half, then became filled with emotions. Even the winning head coach Brad Underwood watched the emotional scene unfold. Underwood became the winning coach in the 106-94 victory, […]

Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood revealed how his team has grown from their blowout loss to Duke a few weeks ago. The Fighting Illini picked up another critical Big Ten win on Friday, this time over No. 18 Purdue. The 88-80 victory gave Illinois basketball its 20th of the year. Riding a three-game winning […]

Purdue head coach Matt Painter dropped a truth bomb about the Illinois Fighting Illini after their matchup on Friday. The Boilermakers initially held a 42-40 lead at halftime. However, the Fighting Illini responded strong in the last 20 minutes by outscoring their opponents 48-38 to secure the 88-80 victory. Painter reflected on the loss after […]

The Big Ten regular season comes to a close as Purdue faces Illinois. It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with a Purdue-Illinois prediction and pick. Purdue is 21-9 on the year, while sitting 12-6 in conference play, sitting third in the Big Ten. They opened the year winning eight of their first […]

It’s time to continue our College Basketball odds series with an Illinois-Michigan prediction and pick. Find out how to watch Illinois-Michigan. Sunday is a very big day — or should we say, a very “B1G” day — in college basketball. The Big Ten championship chase will take a few significant turns just before the finish […]

The Illinois Fighting Illini are fighting for their lives for a possible NCAA Tournament bid, although it’s looking increasingly unlikely barring an unforeseen run through the Big Ten Tournament. Illinois has two games remaining before the conference tournament, and head coach Brad Underwood believes they’ll be getting reinforcements soon. Underwood said that freshman forward Morez […]

The Illinois basketball team desperately needed a bounce-back win after getting blown out against Duke, and that’s exactly what they got. The Fighting Illini hosted Iowa on Tuesday night, and they finally looked back to normal as they cruised to an 81-61 win. Illinois came into this game having lost three games in a row, […]