CHAMPAIGN – Champaign County health officials are urging caution ahead of the upcoming NCAA tournament, where the University of Illinois men’s basketball team will compete for the first time in eight years. With fans fired up from a series of recent wins, officials are worried that packed sports bars and watch parties could contribute to…
INDIANAPOLIS — It took Brad Underwood 26 years to become an NCAA Division I head basketball coach. But he said he never doubted the time would come. On Sunday, after Illinois men’s basketball earned the Big Ten tournament title with a 91-88 win in overtime against Ohio State, Underwood reflected on his journey. “I had…
INDIANAPOLIS — Giorgi Bezhanishvili and Kofi Cockburn were at a loss for words as they observed the spectacle of a Big Ten Tournament Championship Sunday in Indianapolis. “I was trying to collect the whole moment within me,” said Bezhanishvili. “All these people who I’ve been with every single day, working, and see them, so so…
RANTOUL – Construction crews are finishing up their work on the Rantoul Family Sports Complex for a mid-April opening. The village-owned facility, with 18 fields for baseball, soccer and other sports, will host local sports programs in Rantoul. But it’s really aimed at sports tourism: regional sports events that can bring families and their dollars…
INDIANAPOLIS — The first time Illinois center Kofi Cockburn and Iowa center Luka Garza faced off, back in 2020, Garza owned the day. The Hawkeyes’ 6-foot-10 playmaker made Cockburn look inexperienced and uncomfortable, limiting him to just six points in a 72-65 Hawkeyes win in January of 2020. On that day, Garza exploded for 25…
INDIANAPOLIS — The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team will face Ohio State for the Big Ten Tournament crown Sunday afternoon in Indianapolis. Illinois downed the Iowa Hawkeyes 82-71 in what might be the final meeting against Iowa’s National Player of the Year, Luka Garza. Kofi Cockburn prevailed in the battle of the big men, and…
INDIANAPOLIS — Fresh off a dominant, 90-68 win over Rutgers in the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals, Illinois coach Brad Underwood was overjoyed about more than just the result of the game. The Illini, the tournament’s 2-seed, dispatched 7-seed Rutgers with ease. But for the first time all season, the team also got to play in front…
INDIANAPOLIS — The Fighting Illini women’s basketball team exploded out of the gate in yesterday’s Big Ten Tournament opener, scoring the first 17 points en route to a 67-42 drubbing of Wisconsin. Freshman guard Aaliyah Nye scored a career-high 17 points to lead Illinois — including four three-pointers. She credited the Illini coaching staff for…
ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team shocked the college basketball world Tuesday night with a stunning 76-53 blowout over No. 2 Michigan in Ann Arbor. Ayo Dosunmu sat out his third-straight game under concussion protocol, allowing room for Trent Frazier to score 22 points and Andre Curbelo 17 from the guard…
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A season-long narrative of hot and cold quarters played out again for the Fighting Illini women’s basketball team in a 70-66 loss at Purdue Sunday afternoon. Outscored by a dozen points in the third, and trailing by 16 points in the fourth quarter, Illinois reeled off 13 straight, and then tied…
MADISON — The 5th-ranked Illini men’s basketball team withstood a one-man basket barrage in the final three minutes, holding on to beat #22 Wisconsin at the Kohl Center for the second straight year. The final was 74-69. Illinois, playing without an injured Ayo Dosunmu, sustained a double-digit lead through most of the game despite committing 20…
CHAMPAIGN — Beating the Big Ten’s worst team was a side story Thursday night for the Illini men’s basketball team. Ayo Dosunmu sat out on Senior Night after posting a video on Twitter showing a visibly swollen face. The Illini beat Nebraska 86-70 without him. Coach Brad Underwood said there’s no timetable for Dosunmu’s return,…
EAST LANSING, Mich. — The winning streak is over for the Illini men’s basketball team, but the 23-year streak of NCAA tournament berths is still alive for Michigan State. The Spartans out-toughed the Illini en route to an 81-72 win last night in East Lansing. Illini Trent Frazier said his team was expecting the blunt…
CHAMAPIGN — The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team provided another emotional rollercoaster for fans Tuesday night before putting Northwestern away 73-66. Ayo Dosunmu scored only seven points before draining a pair of three-pointers in the final 80 seconds to seal the win. He said he took what the defense gave him. “I was making the…
CHAMPAIGN — The Fighting Illini women’s basketball team gave another Jekyll and Hyde performance in yesterday’s 58-50 loss to the 15th-ranked Indiana Hoosiers in Champaign. Eighteen first half fouls forced the Illini to rethink how they were defending. Coach Nancy Fahey said the analysis proved fruitful. “There’s a maneuver called a Masgov that you can…