en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball News https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/news A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Fortunately for Illinois and its deep rotation, those weak links seem to be few and far between. With a bench that appears to possess as much talent as any in the Brad Underwood era, the starters will not be the only major talking point of […] Sat, 01 Aug 2026 14:47:00 GMT Owen Christopher https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57430550 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57430550 false false Illinois lands at No. 2 on our beat writer's preseason top 25 Sat, 01 Aug 2026 13:12:13 GMT SCOTT RICHEY srichey@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57429801 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57429801 false false Illinois cornerback Juice Clarke joins Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner to discuss what motivates him, his next steps after an All-Big Ten honorable mention s... Sat, 01 Aug 2026 12:25:32 GMT Illini Inquirer: Illinois on 247Sports https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57429524 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57429524 false false Illinois center looking to leverage experience, physical growth in third season in Champaign Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:13:52 GMT SCOTT RICHEY srichey@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57428888 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57428888 false false One-hundred-sixty-five years ago this week — Aug. 2, 1861 — David Kinley Jr. was born in the millennia-old burgh of Dundee, located on Scotland’s east coast. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 10:13:48 GMT Mike Pearson https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57428887 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57428887 false false Welcome to IlliniGuys Sports Spectacular, your home for year-round University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign sports coverage from IlliniGuys.com! In this episode, Larry Smith, Mike Cagley, and Brad Sturdy break down major news across Illinois Fighting Illini athletics, including the massive Busey Bank sponsorship deal with the University of Illinois, the debut of jersey patches for Illini teams, and what this means in the […] Sat, 01 Aug 2026 01:44:27 GMT mikeilliniguys-com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57426893 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57426893 false false U.S. District Court Judge Charlotte Sweeney granted a temporary restraining order that effectively grandfathers-in hundreds of athletes, many of whom had already signed pro contracts. Sat, 01 Aug 2026 01:09:00 GMT al.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57426645 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57426645 false false The Illini are expected to coast through the majority of their Big Ten slate, but there are a few games that could trip them up Sat, 01 Aug 2026 19:07:45 GMT Jackson Langendorf https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57432714 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57432714 false false Illini Inquirer's Kyle Tausk breaks down Zavier Zens' 2026-27 outlook. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 17:06:15 GMT Kyle Tausk https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57421656 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57421656 true false It feels impossible to pick apart an Illinois team that went to the Final Four for the first time since 2005 last season. The offense was firing on all cylinder Fri, 31 Jul 2026 16:01:42 GMT Ericka Brockish https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57420802 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57420802 false false Like the previous three iterations, there's a Big Ten presence. Fri, 31 Jul 2026 14:12:57 GMT SCOTT RICHEY srichey@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57419562 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57419562 false false Illinois safety Matthew Bailey discusses his five-year journey at Illinois, his decision to come back for one last season and his role in Bobby Hauck's new d... Fri, 31 Jul 2026 12:36:06 GMT Illini Inquirer: Illinois on 247Sports https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57418644 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57418644 false false Indiana native has earned honorary Balkan status while building up his connection with the pair of Illini big men: 'We just clicked' Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:57:48 GMT SCOTT RICHEY srichey@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57417859 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57417859 false false Illinois basketball has something special happening in Champaign when it comes to recruiting. Brad Underwood pulled in four first round NBA Draft picks over the Fri, 31 Jul 2026 10:36:54 GMT Rees Woodcock https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57417770 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/57417770 false false