Illinois Fighting Illini

Watching and following Illini recruiting, Illini football, and now Illinois basketball too, is to watch Paul Giamatti's character in "Sideways." You just see them take hit, after hit, after hit, after hit, and you think: "when is life going to deal them a better hand finally? Since Mike Thomas took over as Athletic Director, things have taken a serious turn for the worse. … [Read more...] about 2014 Illini recruiting class: 13th out of 14 in the Big Ten

During the pregame radio show, Illini basketball Coach John Groce said there are two types of college basketball teams playing  during this period of the season. Those that have checked out mentally and can't wait for the season to end. The second group: teams composed of kids that want to keep playing as long as possible. Obviously, he then said, this Illini basketball team is … [Read more...] about This Illini basketball team should feature the young guys more

Illinois Coach John Groce was asked a question about the emotions he displayed during the 81-74 Illini loss to the #12 Iowa Hawkeyes. It was Iowa’s first win at Illinois since 1999. The reporter queried as to why John Groce was conveying more emotion than he usually does. Groce said he was indeed angry, and not just because his team blew a five point lead down the stretch, … [Read more...] about Illini Coach John Groce angered by Illinois “fans” booing his team

The Illinois Fighting Illini tournament chances aren't dead yet. But they are in critical condition and mandating life support. Everything can change in a New York minute. On Monday the Illini were sitting pretty with an RPI of 10 and all the preseason concerns about how bad the Illini might or might not be were put to rest. The Braggin Rights rivalry win put those fears to … [Read more...] about Evaluating the remains of the Illini NCAA Tournament profile

Your 13-2, 2-0 Illini basketball team will probably move into the national rankings for the first time this season later today. And it's well deserved. Other than the 8 minute collapse at Georgia Tech in the Big Ten ACC Challenge, this Illini basketball team has not really done anything wrong this year. The Mizzou win was solid and the Oregon loss wasn't bad at all. Defeating … [Read more...] about Illini basketball national ranking could be short-lived

Shooting guard Aaron Jordan has chosen Illinois. The class of 2015 blue-chip prospect from Plainfield, Illinois picked the Illini over Northwestern, Creighton, Indiana, Wisconsin and Purdue.  Currently, Aaron Jordan is ranked as the 60th best prospect in the country, according to Rivals.com, and No. 77 by Scout.com. Aaron Jordan is considered a top prospect in the state of … [Read more...] about Top 60 national recruit Aaron Jordan commits to Illini basketball