3+ week, 2+ day ago (523+ words) LINCOLN'While Illinois dressed two liberos, Laney Choboy covered enough court for two players." In the second set, Choboy recorded an ace to prompt the media timeout. When the teams returned to the court, the Husker libero made a diving pancake save on Illinois" first swing. After another dig, Tereya Sigler"s back row attack was rejected, and Choboy fully laid out facing the end line, punching the ball straight up. Bergen Reilly set the ball to Harper Murray, who recorded a kill." Choboy finished with 20 digs, two aces and three assists to lead the top-ranked Huskers in a 25-11, 25-15, 25-14 sweep over Illinois Thursday night at John Cook Arena." For as good as Choboy was on defense, NU"s offense was equally impressive. Ten different players recorded a kill, led by junior middle blocker Andi Jackson, who terminated on all nine of…...

4+ day, 13+ hour ago (657+ words) After a pair of big wins in the Baha Mar Championship last week, Purdue returns to Mackey Arena on Black Friday for a non-conference matchup against Eastern Illinois. The Boilermakers will play this contest before stepping into Big Ten play next week, traveling to Piscataway for a matchup with Rutgers. What do we know about Eastern Illinois so far this season? Here are five things about the Panthers before Friday afternoon's game at Mackey Arena. Note: Eastern Illinois plays Central Arkansas on Tuesday, Nov. 25. This story will be updated with correct statistics following that contest. There will be some familiarity on the court on Friday, as Kooper Jacobi and Trey Kaufman-Renn will go head-to-head. The two played together at Silver Creek High School, both graduating in 2021. Can you imagine trying to slow down that tandem? Jacobi has been Eastern Illinois…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (396+ words) With the Crimson Tide rolling into Chicago on Wednesday, Underwood offered the latest on each of his handful of of injured Illini Illinois men's basketball's injury report reads like an alarming grocery store receipt. It just keeps going. Ahead of the team's showdown against Alabama on Wednesday at the United Center in Chicago (8 p.m. CT, FS1), the battered and bruised Illini consist of big man Tomislav Ivisic and his twin brother, Zvonimir, along with guards Mihailo Petrovic and Brandon Lee. Brad Underwood on Illinois injuries "We've [been] getting a little bit healthier," Underwood said. "We've had guys in practice and sustaining throughout practice, which is nice. We'll see where Tomi's status is, as he is basically going through what Andrej went through " a reaction to his performance the day before " whether it's rest or the ability to go. "Brandon's back. He's still…...

20+ hour, 14+ min ago (142+ words) Saturday was a snowy day across the Midwest, and college football fans tuning in expecting flakes weren't disappointed. No. 1 Ohio State downed No. 15 Michigan 279 amid flurries, while Minnesota topped Wisconsin 177 in equally wintry conditions. Northwestern's annual rivalry showdown with Illinois was something else entirely. The Champaign-Urbana, Ill., area took a direct hit from the system annoying much of the Great Lakes region, and suffered from high winds as well. Here was the Wildcats' view of the powder. Jeremy Werner of 247Sports shared this view an hour before kickoff. Sideline views of the contest weren't much clearer. The fall did not stop Fighting Illini linebacker James Kreutz from warming up sans shirt. Kaitlyn Jesmonth of WCIA-TV shared the view from the station's camera mounted on the stadium, which underlined the conditions affecting the entire area....

2+ day, 13+ hour ago (706+ words) Illinois" defense in the past few games could be described in a variety of ways " none of them good. Struggling? Porous? Wildly inconsistent? How about just flat-out bad? The Illini, who certainly have the athletes and length to be dominant at that end, have been playing below the bar they set in their first couple of outings. Even in that Texas Tech game, which saw the Red Raiders connect on 11 straight field goals in the second half and forward JT Toppin score 35 points, Illinois" defense looked good. Sure, Texas Tech scored, but life was difficult. Toppin"s buckets were well-contested, and his efficiency was simply absurd. More power to him. The Illini did their job (for the most part), and Toppin was a special player making special plays on that night. The Illini could have made it tougher for Toppin…...

3+ week, 5+ day ago (523+ words) Just after a week of clutching a win against Purdue, Rutgers needed another win to continue the positive momentum. Instead, the Knights" got their progress halted once again with a blunt hit by Illinois. The Fighting Illini won over the Scarlet Knights 35-13 on Saturday, exposing some vital flaws in the lineup that Greg Schiano needs to find answers for, as soon as possible." Rutgers responded with field goals on its first two series, drives of 11 and 13 plays that chewed clock but produced just six points. The Scarlet Knights reached the Illinois 12 and 11, respectively, only to settle for Jai Patel kicks. By halftime, Illinois led 21-6, having scored on three of four possessions while punting just once all game. "We certainly did not coach well enough, nor did we play well enough to give ourselves an opportunity to win the game. It…...