1+ day, 17+ hour ago (200+ words) It's trophy time in Illinois high school football, with eight champions set to be crowned on Thanksgiving weekend. The top two teams in the state according to the MaxPreps rankings, Mt. Carmel and Brother Rice, will play for titles. Beyond them, unpredictability has been the rule throughout the playoffs; Montini in 4A is the only No. 1 seed besides Mt. Carmel to reach the title game. Speaking of Montini, the Broncos have perhaps the top player remaining in quarterback Israel Abrams, rated the No. 2 QB in the 2027 recruiting class by 247 Sports. There will be plenty of talent to watch all over the field over two full days of football, though. The best news: All eight title games are available to watch live for viewers in Illinois and around the country. Here's how to tune in: The Illinois high school football championship games…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (220+ words) Game Time:6:30 p.m. Saturday Odds:ILL -8.5, O/U 41.5 Head Coach: Bret Bielema (5th season) Last Game:24-6 win over Maryland "Lot of great memories: Bielema ready for second Madison return Illinois grinds out tough win over Maryland Head coach: Luck Fickell (3rd season) Last game: 31-7 loss to Indiana Wisconsin leads all-time series 45-39-7. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. " It doesnt get any worse than that. Despite upsetting high-powered Maryland the week prior, the Illini came into Homecoming Saturday at Memorial Stadium as underdogs against the Wisconsin Badgers. Just like last weekend, Bret Bielemas squad went into the fourth quarter with a double-digit lead. However, Wisconsin scored 11 unanswered points to cut the lead to 21-18 before getting the ball back again with under four minutes left. A few big plays later, the Badger offense sat three yards away from glory with just 27 seconds left. On third down, redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (259+ words) Illinois basketball'remained No. 14 in the first in-season'USA TODAY Network coaches poll, released Monday. Illinois (2-0) is one of six Big Ten teams ranked in the Nov. 10 poll. The Illini are third in the league behind No. 1 Purdue and No. 5 Michigan, and ahead of No. 15 UCLA, No. 17 Michigan State and No. 22 Wisconsin. Illinois ranking: Preseason rankings, polls high on Illinois basketball's chances in 2025-26 Nov. 3: 113-55 over Jackson State " Illinois opened the game on a 24-3 push and cruised in its season-opener at State Farm Center. The Illini outrebounded the Tigers 61-19 and made 17 3-pointers. Tomislav Ivisic and Ben Himrichous scored 21 each to lead Illinois, which played without newcomers Mihailo Petrovic (hamstring), Andrej Stojakovic (knee) and Brandon Lee (ankle). Nov. 7: 113-70 over Florida Gulf Coast " Kylan Boswell (31 points, 10 rebounds) and David Mirkovic (17 points, 11 rebounds) led the Illini to another offensive showcase in which they shot 55 percent with…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (216+ words) While the world of college volleyball is shaken up, Nebraska remains as steady as ever. A myriad of intense matchups changed the national rankings last week " the most notable being No. 2 Texas losing to both Texas A&M and Kentucky, the Longhorns' first losses of the season. This means No. 1 Nebraska is the only undefeated squad left in the country. Sitting at 12-9, Illinois has lost its last four games. In the Illini's five-set thriller against Iowa last week, they fell just five points short of the win. Nonetheless, four players finished with double-digit kills in front of a sold-out home crowd. Who will end up in the win column this week? Here's everything you need to know about Nebraska vs. Illinois, including TV channel and streaming options for the college volleyball match. The college matchup between Nebraska and Illinois will…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (275+ words) MADISON " Wisconsin men's basketball's last game against Northern Illinois may have been a little too close for comfort. It was early in the 2000-01 season, as Wisconsin eked past Northern Illinois with a 68-64 win in what ended up being Dick Bennett's penultimate game as head coach. The 2025-26 Badgers will seek a more comfortable win against the Huskies on Nov. 7 at the Kohl Center. It comes four days after their 96-64 season-opening win over Campbell that ended with a 29-2 run that removed any doubt. The Journal Sentinel will have live coverage before, during and after the Wisconsin-Northern Illinois game. Follow below for the updates: Out for season: None Guards: Nick Boyd, John Blackwell, Andrew Rohde Forwards: Austin Rapp, Nolan Winter Odds courtesy of BetMGM, as of the evening of Nov. 7: Spread: Wisconsin by 28.5 The game is set for 7:30 p.m. 1130 WISN-AM in Milwaukee, 1310 WIBA-AM and…...

2+ day, 10+ hour ago (242+ words) Illinois and UConn will face off at'Madison Square Garden in an intriguing non-conference contest. Dan Hurley's Huskies recovered following their first loss of the season with a 72-49 win over Bryant on Sunday. UConn is hoping that senior center Tarris Reed Jr. will rejoin the rotation against Illinois after missing the last two games because of an ankle injury. The Fighting Illini bounced back after a close loss against Alabama earlier this month, defeating Long Island University and UT Rio Grande Valley. Andrej Stojakovic, the son of former NBA All-Star Peja'Stojakovic, led the team in scoring in each of those wins. The Sporting News has all the details on how to watch Illinois vs. UConn. Illinois vs. UConn will air nationally on Fox. College basketball fans can stream the game with'DIRECTV. Catch every game " try'DIRECTV'FREE today! Stream live soccer, MLB and…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (381+ words) Illinois basketball will host Alabama on Wednesday for a regular season game inside the United Center for the first time since 2018. The Illini played a regular-season game in Chicago every season (except for 2009) dating back to 1994 before their last appearance in 2018. Head coach Brad Underwood did not continue the United Center game tradition following a 7767 loss to Ohio State, likely because attendance was just 5,285 people, per ESPN. The arena was nearly empty, and the game also took a home conference matchup away from the State Farm Center. The resurgence of the program since 2018 has brought excitement back to the United Center game and provides a chance for Chicagoland alumni to see the Illini play in their backyard against a high-level opponent. Illinois will also face UConn and Tennessee during non-conference play over the next two years, keeping the United Center…...

2+ week, 3+ day ago (198+ words) Date: Wednesday, November 12, 2025Game Time: 7:00 PM ETTV: ESPNULocation: Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Amherst, MA@PeteFiutak It's Northern Illinois. It still wants to run the ball, and occasionally, it works.The balance isn't there - there's just no passing attack - but when the offensive line gets into a lather and the offense can control the clock and game, everything else works." It's going to run the ball at least 40 times. It might not always work, but it'll keep pounding, and UMass might not be able to stop any of it.The Minuteman defensive front had a day against Buffalo, but that's been about it. Central Michigan and Akron ran at will, and this won't be anything to figure out. NIU will keep grinding. UMass 20, Northern Illinois 17Line: Northern Illinois -11.5, o/u: 43.5ATS Confidence out of 5: 1.5Must See Rating: 2 Consensus Line from BetMGM, Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel. Game…...

1+ week, 6+ day ago (301+ words) Illinois basketball'moved up six spots to No. 8 in the newest'USA TODAY Network coaches poll, released Monday, Nov. 17. Illinois (4-0) is one of seven Big Ten teams ranked in the Nov. 17 poll. The Illini are third in the league behind No. 1 Purdue and No. 6 Michigan, and ahead of No. 18 Michigan State, No. 20 UCLA, No. 21 Wisconsin and No. 25 Indiana. Illinois ranking: Preseason rankings, polls high on Illinois basketball's chances in 2025-26 Nov. 11: 81-77 over Texas Tech " New-look Illinois passed its first test of the season, taking out No. 11 Texas Tech at home. Illinois went on a late eight-point run, holding Texas Tech scoreless in a four-minute stretch. Newcomer Andrej Stojakovic (23 points) blocked a 3-point attempt and freshman Keaton Wagler made free throws to seal the win. Nov. 14: 84-65 over Colgate " Illinois freshman David Mirkovic has one of the most impressive freshman performances in Illini history, with…...

1+ week, 4+ day ago (301+ words) CHAMPAIGN " Illinois football joined the College Football Playoff rankings for the first time in 2025 when it landed at No. 21 in the third ranking, released Tuesday, Nov. 18. The Illini (7-3) were not part of the first two rankings, which eventually will be used to seed the 12-team CFP. Illinois is an underdog to make the playoffs, but finds itself in the rankings for the first time this season. Illinois also was ranked in CFP last season on the way to a 10-win season and a victory in the Citrus Bowl. Here is the full College Football Playoff bracket according to the rankings released Tuesday: No. 9 Notre Dame vs. No. 8 Oklahoma would face No. 1 Ohio State No. 10 Alabama vs. No. 7 Oregon winner would face No. 2 Indiana No. 11 Miami vs. No. 6 Ole Miss winner would face No. 3 Texas A&M No. 12 Tulane vs. No....