CHAMPAIGN — Snow and ice couldn’t stop the much-anticipated match-up of first place Big Ten teams last night in Champaign. No. 18 Illinois beat No. 11 Wisconsin 80-67 on a night that saw the Badgers arguably colder than the prevailing winds. Junior center Kofi Cockburn powered the Illinois offense with a game-high 37 points. Cockburn…
CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois men’s basketball team beat No. 10 Michigan State 56-55 Tuesday night in Champaign, despite the absence of Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo. Senior guard Trent Frazier led all scorers with 16 points and held star MSU freshman Max Christie to 1-8 shooting and just two points. Frazier also led Illinois in…
CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois men’s basketball team took 4th-ranked Purdue to double-overtime before succumbing 96-88 on Monday afternoon. Sasha Stefanovic drained 5-8 three-pointers for a team-high 22 points. 7-foot-4 center Zach Edey connected on nine shots in the paint to add 20 for the visitors. The nationally-televised game was billed as a battle of big…
LINCOLN, Neb. — Fighting Illini men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood said last night’s game at Nebraska was one he’d been concerned about since the Big Ten conference schedule was published. Illinois prevailed 81-71 Tuesday night in Lincoln, but it took some late heroics by their reserve center “Maybe the coming out party for Omar Payne,”…
CHAMPAIGN — The Illinois men’s basketball team improved to 4-0 in the Big Ten with a 76-64 win over Maryland Thursday night in Champaign. It wasn’t easy. After his team squandered a 14 point first half lead, head coach Brad Underwood entered the team’s locker room at halftime. “It was very professional, very businesslike. And…
MINNNEAPOLIS — The Illinois men’s basketball team blew the doors off ‘The Barn’ in Minneapolis Tuesday night, coasting to a 76-53 win over the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Williams Arena. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood says he was relieved to find his team competitive after returning from a pause due to positive COVID tests on…
ST. LOUIS — The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team demolished Missouri in the 41st annual Braggin’ Rights game Wednesday night in Saint Louis. The final score was 88-63. Kofi Cockburn tallied 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds for the victors. He said he’ll enjoy his holiday travels a lot more after winning the border war…
IOWA CITY, Iowa — The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team beat Iowa 87-83 last night in Iowa City. Jacob Grandison and Alfonso Plummer hit 4 three-pointers each, and scored 21 points apiece to lead Illinois. The two sealed the game against an Iowa comeback, with Plummer draining a three-pointer with 80 seconds remaining. Grandison was…
CHAMPAIGN — Sophomore forward Kendall Bostic grabbed 22 rebounds and scored 12 points as the Illini women’s basketball team cruised to a 71-57 win over Eastern Kentucky Sunday afternoon. Bostic spoke matter-of-factly about her rebounding effort, which was the program’s best individual rebounding performance in 40 years. “This was a team (EKU) that we really…
LEXINGTON, Ky. — In what is becoming a nearly annual event, the Fighting Illini volleyball team has advanced to the round of 16 in the NCAA Volleyball Championships. Illinois defeated host and No. 7 seed Kentucky 3-1 (25-22, 20-25, 25-10, 25-21) to reach the Sweet 16 for the tenth time in the last 14 seasons….
NEW YORK — Major League Baseball owners have locked out their players, after the collective bargaining agreement between the two sides expired on Wednesday night. The lockout means that no new contracts can be signed and that players cannot access team facilities, among other things. Illinois Newsroom’s Brian Moline talked about MLB’s labor situation with…
CHAMPAIGN — The Fighting Illini men’s basketball team overcame illness and injuries to beat Notre Dame 82-72 Monday night in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge at State Farm Center in Champaign. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood detailed some of his team’s ailments after the game. “I had not seen Jacob Grandison since we got home from…
KANSAS CITY — One night after a blowout loss to Cincinnati, the Fighting Illini men’s basketball team figured things out on offense well enough to beat former head coach Bruce Weber’s Kansas State team 72-64 at the Hall of Fame Classic. Illinois guard Alfonso Plummer connected on 7-9 three-pointers for 21 points. That long-range threat…
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — For the first eight minutes of the game, it looked like it would be a blowout Illini win. It ended up being a blowout loss to Cincinnati in the Hall of Fame Classic. Kofi Cockburn returned to action following a three-game suspension and launched his team to a 15-point lead, scoring…
CHAMPAIGN — University of Illinois football coach Bret Bielema has tested positive for COVID-19, the program announced on Tuesday. Bielema will miss this Saturday’s game at Iowa, where he played football in college, per team COVID protocols to help limit spread of the virus. In a statement, Bielema says he developed “mild symptoms” on Monday…