How Many Times Will Illinois Basketball Play on the West Coast? The Big Ten conference added some new teams to its array of schools. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington have drifted away from the PAC-12 and will join the Big Ten in both basketball and football. All four schools are solid brands, however, the fit will take some getting used to. It is strange that Midwest and East Coast schools will have to travel all the way to the West Coast to play some games in both sports. Per release, Illinois basketball will have to make that trip to the West Coast twice during conference play. The Illini w ..read more

Illinicast: Rapid Reaction – Ben Humrichous Commits To Illinois A very busy week thus far in the world of Illini athletics. The Illinicast crew gave their live rapid reaction to Illinois Basketball’s most recent transfer portal addition. On Tuesday, sharp-shooting Evansville forward Ben Humrichous pledged his commitment to Brad Underwood and the Fighting Illini. Hosts Sunny and Austin dive into what this commitment means to the program. As well as reacting to the slurry of recent news surrounding Coleman Hawkins. Armchair Illini Breakdown: Ben Humrichous The native of Tipton Indiana averaged 1 ..read more

Evansville Sharp-Shooter Commits to Illinois Basketball Illinois Basketball has their good news. The 2024 market has been a whirlwind of highly talented players hitting the road for better-fitting destinations. Certainly, the Illini have found themselves right in the middle of it all, and capitalizing. Adding talented players like Arizona PG Kaylan Boswell, Notre Dame Forward Carey Booth, Mercer Guard Jake Davis, and Louisville guard Tre White. On April 30th, it was announced that Illinois Basketball head coach Brad Underwood snagged his 5th commitment from the ever-fluid transfer po ..read more

Illinois Basketball: Why did Coleman Hawkins Enter the Portal? Illinois Basketball star Coleman Hawkins provided quite a shock to Illini fans on Tuesday afternoon. At 1:36 pm, CBS sports analyst Matt Norlander posted on X that Coleman Hawkins was entering his name into the transfer portal, while remaining in the NBA Draft. Of course, with one year of college eligibility still in the talented forward’s back pocket. Initially, a whirlwind of emotions sent Illini media and fans into a frenzy. To be expected. Check out the original post from Matt via X below. Breaking—Illinois senior big man Cole ..read more

Illinois Basketball Star to Enter Transfer Portal Per Matt Norlander of CBS Sports, Illinois Basketball star forward, Coleman Hawkins, will enter the transfer portal. Hawkins is still going through the NBA draft process and announced his intent to stay in the 2024 draft just last week. Per Norlander’s tweet, Hawkins is still also considering a return to Illinois. This decision means that Coleman Hawkins is keeping his options open. Per NBAdraft.net, he will be picked between picks 52-58. Though he wants to stay in the NBA draft, there is no certainty that he will be a draft pick. Hawkins has m ..read more

Illinois Basketball Should Pursue Mountain West Transfer JT Toppin is a 6 foot 9 inch forward who just finished a freshman year at New Mexico. Toppin averaged 12.4 points, 9.1 rebounds, 1.9 blocks, and 1.1 steals on a very successful New Mexico squad. His stat line speaks for itself as it shows that Toppin is a beast on the glass and has outstanding defensive versatility. Additionally, he fits the mold of positional length and multiple years of eligibility that Brad Underwood prizes. The Mountain West standout has just entered the transfer portal per reports on Twitter. As a result, Illinois B ..read more

Illinois Basketball: The Popularity of Booty Ball Illinois Basketball and Brad Underwood famously coined the term “Booty ball”. After losing three times to the Penn State Nittany Lions and Jalen Pickett, Brad Underwood jokingly started the phrase in the postgame press conference. Jalen Pickett was virtually unguardable, especially for Illinois. Pickett would start backing down his man at various spots on the perimeter and then somehow find his way into the basket or a mid-range jumper. If anyone sent a double, Pickett had elite court vision and elite shooters as teammates. Jordan Sperber of Ho ..read more

Illinicast: Big Changes Happening With Illinois Football and Basketball There is no such thing as an off-season in today’s world of college athletics. The Illinois Football and Basketball programs are keeping those of us in the Illini content creation world hard at work. As well as having fans constantly scouring the internet for the next tidbit of football and basketball recruiting info. The most recent news, coming from both programs. It was announced on Monday that Illinois Basketball guard Nicco Moretti has entered the transfer portal. The Freshman from Italy averaged 1.5 points per game ..read more

Illinois Football UDFA Receiving High Media Praise The Chicago Bears recently called upon Illinois football defensive tackle Keith Randolph Jr. as an undrafted free agent. A former member of the iconic “Law Firm” duo has begun his dream career in the NFL. Of course, along with partner in crime Johnny Newton. Who, will be making his way to the Washington Commanders. A native of Belleville Illinois, Keith certainly is a home-state hero. He played out his stellar college career for the Illini, before getting the big call to head up north to Chicago. Furthermore, extending his football career with ..read more

Illinois Football Wide Receiver Drafted By (Blank) Former Illinois Football wide receiver Isaiah Williams has signed an undrafted free-agent deal with the Detroit Lions. Certainly, a very solid fit for the St. Louis (Mo) native, as they look to continue off of last year’s electric offense. Isaiah brings quickness, versatility, and game-breaking athleticism to Motor City. The former 5-star recruit out of Trinity Catholic HS (Formerly in STL) was the biggest recruiting win of the Lovie Smith era. As well as the 9th highest-rated recruit in the modern era for Illinois Football, according to 247 S ..read more