16+ hour, 47+ min ago (480+ words) The Illinois football team is coming off somewhat of a disappointing season. The hope this season was that the Illini would win enough games to get into the College Football Playoff. Clearly, the program is not at that point just yet, as we are only at seven wins with one game left. What this season has shown us the most is our deficiencies. Bret Bielema has plenty of work to do this offseason to get Illinois to a place where we can be competitive nationally. On Thursday, the Illini took a massive step forward in the quest to get to the College Football Playoff. Hayes Fawcett of Rivals reported that Illinois has landed Jakwon Morris. This is a massive get for the Illini. Morris is a 6-foot, 170-pound cornerback from Northwest Mississippi Community College in Mississippi. He is rated as…...

1+ day, 15+ 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…...

2+ day, 7+ 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…...

5+ day, 16+ hour ago (275+ words) TALLAHASSEE, Fla. " A statement win on the road. Illinois went south for its toughest early season test, defeating Florida State in Tallahassee on Sunday afternoon. The road environment was no deterrent to the Illini, who dominated the game, from early to late, resulting in an 86-63 victory. The pace set by the opening quarter established the tempo and efficiency for the remainder of the game. Illinois scored on consecutive possessions " thanks to drives from Gretchen Dolan and a clean jumper from Cearah Parchment " but Florida State seemed to stay in striking distance and led after one, 24-22. The Illini offense had quick spurts, but the Seminoles matched them early. It was the Illini depth in the fourth quarter. Webber took her third three of the game, Aaliyah Guyton showed her physicality by getting to the free-throw line 4 times, and Vasconcelos controlled the…...

1+ week, 1+ day ago (308+ words) During that reflective drive, I started to think about what things, sports or otherwise, are shockingly better than Illinois" 59.1% free-throw shooting against Alabama? Here are a few that I uncovered: Shaquille O"Neal might be the most iconic bad free-throw shooter ever. The man shot 42.2% one season. And still, somehow, he had three seasons better than Illinois" night at the line: When Illinois is losing a free-throw contest to 37-year-old Shaq" you"ve got a problem. Think about this one: The average PGA Tour player is more accurate at blasting a golf ball 300 yards and dropping it onto a narrow fairway" than Illinois was shooting a basketball 15 feet unobstructed. That"s devastating. Long gone are the days when a 50-yarder felt impossible. Kickers in 2024 drilled nearly 70% of field goals from 50+. Meanwhile, Illinois couldn"t break 60% on uncontested looks. Brady made…...

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…...

1+ week, 2+ day ago (404+ words) The Illinois football team is trying to not only keep the class of 2026 intact, but we are also trying to add a few pieces down the home stretch. As of right now, the Illini sit with the No. 26 class in the country for 2026. This class includes 25 commitments, with the latest pledge being from offensive lineman Alfred Washington. Washington is coming from the junior college (JUCO) ranks. He should be an instant help to the Illinois offensive line. Now, Bret Bielema has his eyes set on another massive JUCO offensive lineman. On Tuesday, Mike Roach of 247Sports broke the news that TJ Taylor has cut his list down to just five teams. The five programs to make his top list included SMU, North Carolina State, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Illinois. Taylor is a 6-foot-6, 300-pound offensive tackle from the College of the…...

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....

1+ week, 4+ day ago (214+ words) Nov. 14Illinois picked up a couple more votes in the top 10 of this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, making for six total after earning four in the preseason poll. The bulk came at either No. 9 or No. 10 and helped the Illini get to No. 14 overall. There is one voter who had Illinois ranked sixth in the preseason poll and sixth this week. Seems like he might know what he's doing. Because ... Nov. 14Illinois picked up a couple more votes in the top 10 of this week's Associated Press Top 25 poll, making for six total after earning four in the preseason poll. The bulk came at either No. 9 or No. 10 and helped the Illini get to No. 14 overall. There is one voter who had Illinois ranked sixth in the preseason poll and sixth this week. Seems like he might know what he's doing. Because…...

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…...