en-us SportSpyder - The Latest Illinois Fighting Illini Basketball News https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/news Beat writer Scott Richey projects an eight-man rotation for the Illini in their attempt to get back to the Final Four Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:23:35 GMT SCOTT RICHEY srichey@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56368676 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56368676 false false By IlliniGuys Staff April 23, 2026 (Cover photo courtesy Illinois Athletics) It's been a time of the year fit only for the fittest of Illini fans. Transfer portal season. Portal Kombat. When the fortunes of your team's next season can be decided. Illinois has had some wins. Terrence Shannon Jr. Marcus Domask. Andrej Stojakovic. Zvonimir Ivisic. Alfonso Plummer. Jacob Grandison. Quincy Guerrier. And some that didn't pan out as hoped. Carey Booth. Matthew Mayer. Brandon Podziemski. But the stakes were different this time. If Brad Underwood could keep his core from leaving, the needs were few. The Illini head coach and staff worked diligently late in the season and after the program's first Final Four run in 21 years to identify a number of options depending their own player movement. It turned out, they needed only one - grabbing Providence sharp-shooter Stefan Vaaks less than 24 hours after All-American and future top 10 NBA Draft pick Keaton Wagler made his decision to move on. The 6-foot-7 Estonian was largely viewed as one of the top 10 players in the portal and Illinois made quick work to bring him into the fold. The other player of interest was Wisconsin shooting guard John Blackwell. Bringing in the All-Big Ten third teamer and son of former Illini Glynn Blackwell would have unquestionably given Illinois the best starting five in the country. But in the end, it wasn't a good fit, whether it was Blackwell wanting to have the ball in his hands more or wanting more money in his hands, the Illini moved on and will enter the upcoming season in everyone's preseason top 5 with their top five available returning players, Vaaks, and a top-shelf recruiting class that includes a pair of athletic top-40 guards. Will that be enough? How did the Illini navigate the battles in Portal Kombat this time around? We asked the IlliniGuys for their thoughts: Thu, 23 Apr 2026 13:15:47 GMT larryilliniguys-com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56367910 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56367910 false false Illinois guard signing autographs this weekend Thu, 23 Apr 2026 11:53:30 GMT SCOTT RICHEY srichey@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56367146 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56367146 false false Nominal positions are worthless in the era of positionless basketball. The Brad Underwood era has aligned perfectly with the rise of social media sports discourse. In other words, the Brad Underwood era has aligned with the volume elevation of the dumbest corners of sports fandom. It’s unfortunate because the Underwood era has been largely a […] Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:39:00 GMT Pleas Honeywood https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56366516 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56366516 false false Philanthropic all-stars Jeff Kenyon and David Albin were back at it at last week’s Kickin’ Cancer fundraiser at Gordyville, reaching deep into their pocketbooks to make for a record night of giving ($700,000-plus). Thu, 23 Apr 2026 10:33:43 GMT JIM ROSSOW jrossow@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56366480 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56366480 false false Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:07:25 GMT Fighting Illini at OrangeandBlueNews (On3.com) https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56362084 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56362084 false false Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:07:11 GMT Fighting Illini at OrangeandBlueNews (On3.com) https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56362080 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56362080 false false Illinois left tackle Christian Martin discusses spring practices. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 20:42:45 GMT Illini Inquirer: Illinois on 247Sports https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56360195 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56360195 false false The transfer portal officially closed last night, and the Illini’s roster for the 2026-27 season is mostly set. In what has been a noisy and uncertain month across college basketball, Illinois had one of the quietest Aprils of any program in the sport. The Illini had just four players enter the transfer portal and will […] Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:34:42 GMT Robby Nardini https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56355150 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56355150 false false Which high-profile matchups will Illinois be able to set for the 2026-27 season? Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:56:19 GMT SCOTT RICHEY srichey@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56353557 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56353557 false false The Illinois basketball program was hot and heavy for John Blackwell at one time, but that saga is now over, as he has exited the transfer portal. Blackwell, a Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:08:41 GMT Kellen Sherman https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56353111 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56353111 false false Dosunmu helps Timberwolves even playoff series with Nuggets. ... How many Illini quarterbacks have gotten drafted? ... Haley earns milestone win with SJ-O baseball. ... Catching up with Oakwood softball player Jada Finley Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:56:57 GMT MATT DANIELS mdaniels@news-gazette.com https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56353029 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56353029 false false The Illini retain the Ivisic twins, Jake Davis, and Andrej Stojakovic while also picking up a commitment from Zavier Zens. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 07:35:05 GMT Illini Basketball Podcast https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56351590 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56351590 false false Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Wed, 22 Apr 2026 03:06:24 GMT Fighting Illini at OrangeandBlueNews (On3.com) https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56349812 https://sportspyder.com/mcb/illinois-fighting-illini-basketball/articles/56349812 false false