Illinois Fighting Illini News

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Tuesday, June 23, 2026
ESPN: Kasparas Jakucionis traded to Milwaukee Bucks

KJ, you need a bedroom? As a Milwaukee-area resident, I’m very excited about the prospect of Kasparas Jakucionis joining the Bucks. Also as a Milwaukee-area resident, I’m pretty bummed the Giannis...

Monday, June 22, 2026
Dusty May’s departure opens door for Illinois to seize Big Ten championship

Just two months after leading Michigan to its first national championship since 1989, Dusty May is headed to the NBA, agreeing to become the next head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, per ESPN.  The...

Friday, June 19, 2026
What Lincoln Williams can add to this Illini roster 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There’s a good reason Illinois’ brand-new versatile guard Lincoln Williams owns the No. 1 spot in the state’s class of 2026 rankings across both PrepHoops and 247Sports...

Illinois vs Texas Tech; DGL Revenge Game?

Illini Isaac interviewed Daniel Vermillion of Texas Tech Everything about Brendan Sorsby from Texas Tech’s Viewpoint, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn Revenge Game vs Illinois, and more! Check out State Farm...

Thursday, June 18, 2026
Our biggest questions for Underwood and Illinois in 2027

On paper, Illinois projects as one of the most talented and intriguing teams in college basketball. Returning roughly 60% of its total minutes from last year’s Final Four run, the Illini have most...

Why a No. 1 seed needs to be goal for Illinois Basketball

Illinois basketball is expected to be one of the best teams in the nation following its Final Four run last season. The Illini reached the Final Four for the first time since 2005 and could be...

Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Most Painful Losses of Brad Underwood’s Illini Career Draft

Illini Isaac and Robby Nardini of The Champaign Room battle against one another to draft the most painful losses of Brad Underwood’s career as the coach of Illinois Basketball. *Loyola Chicago not...

All the buzz on Keaton Wagler’s NBA Draft stock

With the NBA Draft now under a week away, that means that information is starting to leak and teams are starting to hone in on who they want to select on June 23. One of the names that’s been...

Keaton Wagler Legit NBA Concerns or Just Smoke?

Keaton Wagler finished one of the best freshman seasons that a Fighting Illini has ever had and will hear his name called in the NBA Draft coming up. There has been recent speculation about his...

Monday, June 15, 2026
Former Illini Ty Rodgers undergoes surgery after lower-body injury

Ty Rodgers just can’t catch a break, man. After transferring to Boise State this offseason, the former Illini forward sustained a lower-body injury in team workouts. BSU said he underwent surgery...

Report: Illinois adds two non-conference home games

Illinois will get another meeting with Fran McCaffery — less will be at stake this time around. After a matchup with Fran and the Penn Quakers in the NCAA Tournament, Illinois is inviting the Ivy...

Saturday, June 13, 2026
Former Illinois recruiting target wins NBA Finals MVP

A once-top target for John Groce’s Illinois staff has now won NBA Finals MVP. Jalen Brunson was the one of the top players in the 2015 class out of Stevenson (Lincolnshire) after winning the IHSA...

Jersey numbers revealed for Illinois newcomers

It’s one of the biggest groups of newcomers in the Brad Underwood era at Illinois. And on Friday, the Illini revealed the jersey numbers for the seven offseason additions, which includes six high...

Bielema on CFP expansion: ‘I think 24’

From childhood stories, Chili’s triple dipper orders, to the crazy world of college football, Bret Bielema truly covered it all during his interview on the Pardon My Take podcast.  Illinois’ head...

Friday, June 12, 2026
Bret Bielema Interviewed on Barstool’s Pardon My Take

Bret Bielema was invited to Barstool’s office and interviewed on Pardon My Take after appearing on the show last summer with former Illini Luke altmyer. Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for...

Thursday, June 11, 2026
Mike Carpenter Back on the Mic! Talking Illinois Hoops; Retiring the 200 Level and more! TCR LIVE

Illini Isaac catches up with Mike Carpenter, formerly of The 200 Level, and recaps the 2026 Final Four run. The guys also discuss Carpenter’s retirement of his podcast and preview the 2026...

Illinois adds in-state QB to 2026 class

The season is fast approaching, and Bret Bielema is beefing up his QB room. Illinois flipped Unity quarterback Dane Eisenmenger, the program announced on Wednesday. Eisenmenger had plans to play...

Tuesday, June 9, 2026
31-0 LIVE Battle – Illinois Edition of the Viral Game! TCR Live

Robby, Greg, and Isaac of TCR will battled to draft the best 31-0 team possible! Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance needs quote...

Monday, June 8, 2026
Illinois adds Lincoln Williams to 2026 class

Brad Underwood made a last-minute addition to his 2026 class. Illinois announced Monday that it signed Lincoln Williams, a 6-foot-5 guard from Kankakee. Williams averaged 26 points and six...

Sunday, June 7, 2026
Altmyer Receives Praise from Dan Campbell

Detroit Lions head coach, Dan Campbell, gave a shout out to former Illini, Luke Altmyer, at OTAs this week. The Detroit Free Press posted an article that features Dan Campbell’s comments about...

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Illinois HC Bret Bielema rips Notre Dame AD after strong 'super-league' stance goes public

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Bret Bielema unloaded on social media after Notre Dame AD Pete Bevacqua took a strong stance regarding a critical would-be change to college football.

Saturday, June 6, 2026
Play 31-0: Illinois version of viral lineup game

I’m sure by now you’ve come across “82-0”, the viral online game where you get a decade and a NBA team, and you need to pick a player to fill each position. Your goal? To build a lineup that would...

Friday, June 5, 2026
Who is the GOAT Illinois Basketball coach?

Is Brad Underwood already the greatest Illini Basketball coach of all-time? Or does someone else have a case? Check out State Farm Agent Brian Hanson for a home, auto, business, and life insurance...

Thursday, June 4, 2026
Illinois makes appearance in NCAA Football 27 trailer

EA Sports College Football 27 comes out in a month, but the first trailer is released this week. And Illinois made a brief appearance toward the end of the trailer. Indiana coach Curt Cignetti...

Former All-American Jenna Hall named Illinois softball head coach

Josh Whitman has made another hire — and they usually turn out pretty good. Jenna Hall is his pick to lead Illini softball into the future. Hall, a former All-American for Illinois, will be the...

Illinois' Bret Bielema clarifies need for 24-team CFP expansion amid initial confusion

Illinois Fighting Illini coach Bret Bielema loudly defended his stance on an expanded CFP field after earlier comments had incorrectly implied a different number. The Fighting Illini were left out...

Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Illinois coach Bret Bielema name-drops highly-touted NFL QB with 'insane' arm talent

Illinois football coach Bret Bielema has coached a plethora of quarterbacks in nearly two decades as a college coach. But it was a quarterback he didn't coach who had him in awe recently.

Does Illinois basketball enter summer as 2027’s best team?

The Illini are coming off their best NCAA Tournament finish since 2005, reaching the Final Four as a No. 3 seed. Expectations for the 2026-27 season are even higher with five of the team’s top...

Pope Leo gifted Illinois football jersey

Just like Knicks star Jalen Brunson, Pope Leo left the state of Illinois for college and attended Villanova. But in a visit to the Vatican on Wednesday, Illinois State Rep. Kim Buckner gifted the...

Tuesday, June 2, 2026
Illinois signee Quentin Coleman notches double-double for Team USA

Quentin Coleman looks like the real deal. Coleman is competing this month with Team USA at the FIBA U-18 AmeriCup before he arrives on campus for his freshman season with the Illini. In his team’s...

Illini legends on College Football Hall of Fame ballot

Two Illini legends are hoping to join 18 former Illinois players in the College Football Hall of Fame this year. The 2027 ballot was released on Monday, and this year’s ballot includes Kevin Hardy...

Monday, June 1, 2026
Drafting Brad Underwood’s Best Wins at Illinois

Illini Isaac and Robby Nardini of The Champaign Room break down recent Illini news and then face off in a draft of Brad Underwood’s best wins at Illinois!

Sunday, May 31, 2026
With Stojakovic secured, Illinois can stake its claim as a title contender

On this episode of ‘Oskee Talk’ I discuss how Andrej Stojakovic’s return impacts the Fighting Illini’s bid for another Final Four (3:51) as well as incoming freshman Quentin Coleman earning a spot...

Saturday, May 30, 2026
Why Illinois can beat Texas Tech in back-to-back years

Last season was the beginning of a home-and-home series Illinois agreed to with Texas Tech. The inaugural game was Illinois’ first big assignment of the season, where No. 11 Texas Tech was...

Can Brad Underwood bring a national title to Illinois in 2027? 

Conversations about a national championship don’t happen often in Champaign, but the Orange and Blue crowd has every reason to dream big this season. The final piece of the puzzle fell into place...

Thursday, May 28, 2026
Can Stojakovic Make Year 2 Leap Under Coach Underwood?

Andrej Stojakovic will join a star-filled list of transfers to play two years under Brad Underwood. Illini Isaac reacts to Stojakovic going through the NBA Draft process and deciding to return to...

Illini Hoops Storylines & Football Preview with Kyle Tausk!

Illini Isaac is joined by Kyle Tausk, former TCR writer, to break down some of the recent Illinois Basketball headlines and preview the upcoming football season.

Wednesday, May 27, 2026
Kickoff times announced for Illinois’ first three 2026 games

Football season is almost here — and now we can mark more games on the calendar. Illinois announced its kickoff times for its first three games of the 2026 season on Wednesday. The season will...

What NCAA’s new international guidelines mean for Underwood and Illinois

On May 8, the NCAA released new eligibility guidelines that target international prospects who have spent time playing in pro leagues overseas.  The guidelines are aiming to classify players from...

Andrej Stojakovic pulls name from NBA Draft, will return to Illinois

After watching Andrej Stojakovic enter his name in the NBA Draft, compete in and test well at the Draft Combine and even say that he’s “both feet in” the draft process, Illinois fans can...

Monday, May 25, 2026
How four of Illinois’ best coaches ever share a similar past

In terms of top basketball coaches at the University of Illinois, a lot of names come to mind. Names like Harry Combes, the first coach to win over 150 games in the Big Ten (174) and over 300...

Illinois football’s five most intriguing 2026 matchups

It seems like it was only a short matter of time ago that the Fighting Illini took down Tennessee in the Music City Bowl. Despite that feeling, much has changed since then, and with roughly three...

Saturday, May 23, 2026
Could Quentin Coleman be the next great Illinois guard?

Illini fans have been spoiled with excellent guard play since the arrival of Ayo Dosunmu in 2018. Several have followed in Dosunmu’s footsteps, cementing Brad Underwood as a coach that can develop...

How good is Illinois’ 2026 freshman class?

We all know Brad and Tyler can put on a recruiting masterclass, but how will the five newbies stack up? Guards Starting with the most recent, but probably most essential piece in the recruiting...

Friday, May 22, 2026
Will Hurley defeat Underwood for a fourth time in three years?

Can Illinois win the rematch with UConn set for December 4th, 2026? Isaac Ambrose sat down with Aman Kidwai of The UConn Blog to break down the Illinois/UConn matchup set for December 4th at the...

Thursday, May 21, 2026
Illinois and Duke Matchups Preview with Duke Basketball Report!

Isaac Ambrose sat down with Scott Rich of Duke Basketball Report to break down the home-and-home basketball series between the two schools and the upcoming football matchup this fall. The Illini...

Illinois HC Bret Bielema shares CFP expansion verdict with exact number of teams included

Illinois coach Bret Bielema remains a massive supporter of College Football Playoff expansion. Should it come to fruition, Bielema is adamant that there is a correct way it needs to be done.

Illinois Hoops Updates: Week of May 18th

Illini Isaac is joined by Drew Pastorek of Oskee Talk to discuss the latest news from Illinois Basketball. Andrej Stojakovic returning to Illinois? Duke on the schedule? and more!

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
Brad Underwood’s extension sends a clear message about Illinois’ future

This episode of ‘Oskee Talk’ is a collaboration with TCR’s “Illini Isaac” Ambrose! We chat about Andrej Stojakovic’s looming NBA draft decision (3:54), Keaton Wagler’s potential new team (9:49),...

Illinois falls to Purdue, ending Big Ten Tournament run

Illinois won’t be dancing this spring. Illinois Baseball’s season came to a disappointing end in the Big Ten Tournament when the Illini lost 3-1 to the Purdue Boilermakers on Wednesday in Omaha....

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