The Champaign Room
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Orange Krush isn’t messing around ahead of Michigan game
Ahead of the biggest game of the season, Orange Krush isn’t messing around. The Illini’s student section showed up bright and early outside State Farm Center on Friday, with some arriving overnight to secure their spot. Illinois shared a drone shot of the lines outside the arena Friday afternoon. TCR’s Jack Jungmann snapped some photos […]
Editorial: Illinois vs. Michigan is a rivalry
Yeah, so this caused a firestorm of controversy. The concept of rivalry in college athletics can be a headscratcher. In college football, Michigan State fans view Michigan as their rivals. Michigan fans view Michigan State as their intramural sparring partner because of their far greater concern with the team down south. Meanwhile, in basketball, Ohio […]
‘Always a dream’: Former Illini Gabe Jacas on NFL Combine
INDIANAPOLIS — To whichever NFL team drafts Gabe Jacas, they’re getting someone who’s physical and disciplined, who doesn’t take plays off and is a natural leader. That is, of course, in the words of Jacas himself, as he met with the media from the NFL Combine on Wednesday morning. While describing himself to reporters, one […]
Hot shooting Illini can’t finish off upset of No. 9 Iowa
IOWA CITY, Ia. — Almost had it. In the 51st consecutive sellout at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, the Fighting Illini nearly pulled off the program’s most historic upset in recent memory, falling short to the No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes 82-78. It was a game of two halves for the orange and blue. Early on, it was all […]
Illinois names new wrestling head coach
A couple of months after Mike Poeta was placed on leave, Illinois officially has a new wrestling coach. Illinois removed the “acting” tag off Jeremy Hunter’s job on Thursday and made him the 16th head coach in Illini wrestling history. Hunter has been with the Illini for a quarter-century since arriving in 2001. He has […]
Three reasons Illinois will beat No. 3 Michigan
The Illini men’s basketball team has had many big games this season. Friday is yet another one vs. the league-leading Michigan Wolverines. The Illini literally have two shots at winning the regular-season Big Ten championship: slim and none. Broken down, that means Illinois has to win out, and Michigan will have to drop three straight […]
‘Grown a lot’: Illinois enters final stretch on winning streak
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Shauna Green’s team is peaking at the right time. Illinois (19-8, 9-7 Big Ten) is coming off of three straight dominant wins against Wisconsin, Rutgers and Northwestern, but will have some tougher competition to end the regular season. “We’ve grown a lot from these games,” said sophomore Berry Wallace. “[It will] just […]
Illinois’ Gretchen Dolan ruled out for rest of season
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini have been on a tear as of late, winning each of their last three games and doing so by an average margin of 23 points. They have done this without the help of one of their stars, redshirt sophomore Gretchen Dolan. Head coach Shauna Green had been hoping to get […]
Why Illinois is still a national title contender
After the loss Saturday at UCLA, some fans are in panic mode. Some are suggesting that Coach Underwood will never win in the Big Ten and certainly not claim an NCAA title. That’s crazy talk. The Fighting Illini basketball program is enjoying arguably its best season in almost 20 years. For the seventh consecutive season, […]
Illinois hasn’t lost to Michigan in 2,600 days. Will that end Friday?
You read that right — it has been since January 10, 2019, since Michigan has beaten Illinois on the hardwood. The Illini have rattled off nine straight wins against the Wolverines, including last year’s 20-point blowout in Dusty May’s first meeting against Illinois. Michigan went on to win the Big Ten Tournament and reach the […]
Illinois’ data-driven offense collided with costly collapse
On this week’s episode of ‘Oskee Talk’ I break down Illinois’ blowout win at USC (3:27) and last-second loss to UCLA (10:24). I also discuss Keaton Wagler’s history-making freshman season (13:13), the Illini’s data-driven gameplan (24:27), and their recent late-game woes (26:56). Next, I glance at the B1G outlook (33:15) and preview Friday’s clash with […]
Every TCR recap from Illinois’ 7-year winning streak over Michigan
It’s been fun, hasn’t it? Illinois hasn’t lost to Michigan in more than seven years – Jan. 10, 2019. It’s been so long, that I was still a student the last time it happened! Unfortunately, if I played in the band that day, I didn’t take a photo to document it. Well, ever since then, […]
How to Watch Illinois vs. Michigan: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds
How to Watch Illinois vs. Michigan Game Time: 7 p.m. Friday TV Channel: Fox Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 50.5% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (22-6, 13-4 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: UCLA 95, Illinois 94 Gameday Reading: Michigan Wolverines (25-2, 15-1 Big Ten) Last […]
Illinois is counting on its youth heading into March
This year’s Illinois team might be young, but don’t count them out on making a late push this season. The Illini have battled injuries for what seems to be two straight seasons and have had a variety of different lineups on the floor. With Gretchen Dolan out for the last month due to injury, key […]
TCR Bracketology 9.0: What the committee reveal says about Illinois
On Saturday, the NCAA selection committee released its annual top 16 reveal. They did not have much to say on the Illini, but what they said about other teams can provide some insight into how Illinois will be valued by the committee. Illinois was 7th, behind a clear top three of Michigan, Duke and Arizona, […]
Illinois secures top-10 road win, Hartleb’s 600th overall
For the first time in more than a decade, Illinois has a top-10 win on the road. Illinois blew out No. 6 Coast Carolina 14-5 on Sunday at the Coastal Carolina Tournament. It’s the program’s first win over a top-10 team away from Illinois Field since March 2015, and the highest ranked road win since […]
Illinois’ efficient three-point shooting helps crush Northwestern
EVANSTON, Ill. — Shooting clinic. The Illinois Fighting Illini came into Welsh-Ryan looking to complete the sweep against in-state rival Northwestern, and they did absolutely just that in very convincing fashion, as they pummeled the Wildcats 92-65 to improve to 19-8 on the season. In a game that started very foul-heavy, which played in the […]
The most stunned reactions to Illinois’ overtime loss at UCLA
When there were 4.9 seconds left in OT and the Illini clung to a 1-point lead, we all knew how it was going to end. Illinois lost 95-94 at UCLA in the Illini’s third overtime loss in just 15 days. Here’s how X reacted to the latest defeat.
Illinois left shellshocked in historic collapse at UCLA
LOS ANGELES — Inside Pauley Pavilion on Saturday night, Illinois’ Big Ten title hopes hung by a thread. When Illinois was on the verge of hanging onto a shaky win, the Bruins’ Donovan Dent took off like a rocket, in the matter of moments, he made his way from one end of the court to […]
Illinois secures No. 2 seed in NCAA bracket preview, No. 7 overall
The selection committee has spoken. Michigan remains at the top of the mountain, with Illinois just behind. While there are still 800 regular season games left to play before Selection Sunday, the NCAA March Madness bracket preview gave the Illini faithful a chance to see where Illinois stands in the eyes of Keith Gill and the […]
Pivots, versatility, and the chaotic brilliance of David Mirkovic
In 2025, I watched the Nike Hoop Summit. The game featured big names like A.J. Dybantsa, Cameron Boozer, Cayden Boozer, Koa Peat, Nate Ament, and Chris Cenac. But I tuned in to watch a future Illinois player. I wanted to see the international man of mystery, whom I knew would define the Illini season. The […]
David Mirkovic: Illinois’ freshman who can do it all
There is no shortage of starpower on this Illini team. They have at least seven players that can put up double digit scoring numbers any night, which shouldn’t be a surprise since their offense is one of the most efficient in the country. The scoring is balanced, and is rarely a one-man show. The few […]
The best reactions to Illinois’ blowout win over USC
That was quite something. Despite me losing sleep over staying up until 11:30 (ON A WEEKNIGHT!) to watch the Illini, they delivered with a 101-65 win over USC on Wednesday. Here’s the best reactions from the online world:
How to Watch Illinois at UCLA: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds
How to Watch Illinois at USC Game Time: 7 p.m. Saturday TV Channel: Fox Online Streaming: FoxSportsGO Odds: N/A (Illinois 66.5% Chance To Win – ESPN Matchup Predictor) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (22-5, 13-3 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 101, USC 65 Gameday Reading: UCLA Bruins (17-9, 9-6 Big Ten) Last […]
No. 10 Illinois dominates USC from opening tip, earns seventh Big Ten road win
LOS ANGELES — Pure domination. That’s what occurred in the first of Illinois’ two West Coast games this week, as No. 10 Illinois defeated USC 101-65 at the Galen Center in Los Angeles on Wednesday night. After suffering back-to-back overtime losses, it appears Illinois is officially back on track, winning its last two games by […]
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