The Champaign Room
A Fighting Illini community since 2012
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Houston player to know — and 3 ways Illinois can win
Another trip to the Sweet Sixteen for Brad Underwood and the Illini, and another tough, physical Big 12 2-seed awaiting them. Houston arrives to the Sweet Sixteen in similar dominating fashion as the Illini have, with 31-point victories over two double-digit seeds. A lot of the talk so far has been about how can Illinois […]
Wagler vs. Flemings: Freshman phenoms face off in Houston
Illinois will head to Houston on Thursday night for a matchup with the Houston Cougars at the Toyota Center. The Illini will travel more than 900 miles for the game, while Houston will be playing in its home city. This will be a rematch of the 2022 Round of 32, when the five-seeded Cougars defeated […]
Illinois wrestling places 15th at NCAA Championship
Illinois placed 15th at this weekend’s NCAA Wrestling Championships with two Fighting Illini earning All-American honors. Kannon Webster placed fifth at 157lb and former NCAA champ Lucas Byrd finished eighth at 133lb. Byrd wrapped up his illustrious Illini career by adding “four time All-American” to his resume, and his 2025 national title run is easily the […]
Illini have come a long way since their last NCAA tournament matchup against Houston
On March 20, 2022, the Illini lost a 68-53 game against Kelvin Sampson’s Houston Cougars. The loss, while expected, was particularly galling. The loss came against a Houston team built to beat teams like Illinois. And let’s be clear: this game was one of the first attempts by Brad Underwood to build a roster that […]
Illinois takes two of three games from Rutgers
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Fighting Illini made a brief comeback from their slump over the weekend. Illinois hosted Rutgers for a three-game conference series, going 2-1 after falling in the series finale. Illinois now has a 12-10 record on the season. Immediately coming into the first matchup, the Illini plated nine runs in the first […]
‘Iron sharpens iron’: Bielema’s first impressions of Illini spring ball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — To most, March on college campuses means buzzer beaters and all the madness that comes with the NCAA men’s and women’s basketball tournaments. For all the college football fanatics, on the other hand, it means the start of spring practices, something that’s underway in Champaign for the Illini. For Illinois head coach […]
Why Illinois is ready potential road game feel in March Madness
Illinois got quite the draw in the Sweet Sixteen. While an opportunity to play Big Ten foe Nebraska or Iowa in the Elite Eight (with a trip to the Final Four on the line) awaits the Illini, first they have to get by No. 2 Houston… in Houston. Thursday night’s late tip will be in […]
Illinois falls to No. 2 Vanderbilt in Round of 32
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Not the result you hope for, but nonetheless, what a season from Illinois. The orange and blue showed a lot of heart on Monday night in Nashville. After a slow start out of the gate, the Illini were pesky and took what they could get against the No. 2 seed Vanderbilt Commodores. […]
Brad’s “Basketbalkans” launch Illinois into the Sweet 16
On this episode of “Oskee Talk” I review Illinois’ NCAA Tournament wins over Penn (3:57) and VCU (10:33) as well as call out Brad Underwood’s critics (19:49). I also revisit the Illini’s history with Sweet 16 opponent Houston (28:11), break down the analytics comparing the two sides (33:28) and discuss the matchups I’m most looking […]
How to Watch Illinois vs. Houston: Game Time, TV Channel, Online Streaming and Odds
How to Watch No. 3 Illinois vs. No. 2 Houston (NCAA Tournament Sweet 16) Game Time: ~9:05 p.m. CT Thursday TV Channel: TBS/TruTV Online Streaming: March Madness Live Odds: Illinois +2.5 (FanDuel) Quick Hits: Illinois Fighting Illini (26-8, 15-5 Big Ten) Head Coach: Brad Underwood (9th season) Last Game: Illinois 76, VCU 55 Gameday Reading: Houston Cougars (30-6, […]
Will Illinois win the South Region? Picks, predictions for Sweet 16
Let me start with the fact that I’m too young to remember much from Illinois’ run to the national championship game in 2005. I was eight years old, and while I was a fan of the Illini, I didn’t really understand what was going on. The 20 years since have been a mix of good […]
Illinois Athletics is in rarified air with NCAA Tourney wins
Shauna Green’s team will have a chance to get to the Sweet Sixteen on Monday night against No. 2 Vanderbilt. I don’t think many of us expect the Illini to pull off the upset, but they did win a NCAA Tournament game for the second consecutive season. So did Brad Underwood’s team this weekend, when […]
The Croatian call of Big Z’s big dunk is INCREDIBLE
If you still can’t get over Big Z’s massive block and dunk — like me — then here’s another way to relive it. On Croatian TV. TCR’s Thumpasaurus made us aware of this brilliant clip from Bluesky on Sunday. It’s incredible. Zero idea what’s being said. ZERO. But I love it. I need the whole […]
Illinois outworks Colorado, advances to second round
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Illini earned gritty win in first round of March Madness. Illinois didn’t try to be perfect Saturday night. They just found a way I the first round of the NCAA Tournament. In a game that stayed close longer than they probably wanted, the Illini made the plays late and pulled away […]
FanDuel: Illinois opens as slight underdog in Sweet Sixteen
After two games as pretty hefty favorites, Illinois will get a taste of its own medicine next week in the Sweet Sixteen. According to FanDuel Sportsbook, Illinois opened Saturday night as a 2.5-point underdog against No. 2 Houston. The game will be Thursday in Houston — so expect the Cougars to have quite the home […]
Stojakovic stars as bench piece while Illinois cruises to a Sweet Sixteen berth
Andrej Stojakovic came to Illinois as one of the most highly-touted transfers in the country. The former McDonald’s All-American averaged 17.9 points per game as a sophomore at Cal last season before hitting the portal and coming to Champaign. An ankle injury during Big Ten play played a part in Stojakovic coming off the bench […]
Illinois surges past VCU to advance to Sweet Sixteen
GREENVILLE, S.C. — VCU’s Lazar Djokovic eyed an exhilarating dunk en route to cutting Illinois’ lead in the second half, but before he could ever get to it, Illinois’ Zvonimir Ivisic elevated at the last second, dancing through the air as he defiantly blocked to quell VCU’s momentum. An exhilarating block. As Illinois’ Kylan Boswell […]
What to expect from Illinois women’s NCAA Tournament run
On Sunday, the Illini were selected to be a No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament, their second appearance in as many years. This is the first time that Illinois has made back-to-back tournaments since they made four in a row between 1996-2000. The orange and blue are also the youngest of the 68 teams […]
Illinois Know Your Opponent: VCU Scouting Report
After dispatching Penn without too much consternation or a FranCon 6 level blow up, Illinois moves on to face VCU in the second round. Just like the last time Illinois was a 3-seed two years ago, they get the Atlantic 10 Conference Champion after they upset a 6-seed, in this case the hapless, Caleb Wilson-less […]
Illinois falls in midweek contest, 10-9 overall on season
The Illini have been inconsistent over the last four games, and it sent Illinois to a 2-2 record over the last week. Coming out of a low-scoring 2-1 Big Ten series against Minnesota over the weekend, Illinois was unable to secure the victory in the extra innings at Indiana State on Tuesday. The 4-3 defeat […]
Illinois shifts into another gear to bury No. 14 Penn
GREENVILLE, S.C.— Brad Underwood told his team to “let it rip” before the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and the Illini responded by shifting into a gear fans haven’t seen in weeks. Behind a monstrous, career-high 29 points and 17 rebounds from freshman David Mirkovic, No. 3 Illinois turned a cold shooting start into […]
Mirkovic earns high praise after dominant performance against Penn
What an NCAA Tournament debut from David Mirkovic. The freshman from Montenegro played one of the best games an Illini has ever played in the tournament. Mirkovic went for a career-high 29 points and grabbed a tournament program record 17 rebounds. “I thought he [Mirkovic] was the best player on the court tonight,” said Illinois […]
Illinois’ keys to winning vs. VCU in second round NCAA Tournament game
Penn was undermanned, and undersized, and — obviously — not as good as Illinois on Thursday night in the Illini’s 105-60 first-round NCAA Tournament win. It gets more challenging now against No. 11 VCU on Saturday night. Don’t let the 11-seed blind you; this team is good. Illinois opened on FanDuel Sportsbook as a 10.5-point […]
FanDuel: Illinois opens as favorite in Round of 32 matchup with VCU
No time to rest. Illinois is back at it Saturday night against VCU in the Round of 32, and they’re opening as favorites. According to FanDuel Sportsbook on Thursday night, the line opened as the Illini as a 10.5-point favorite against the Rams. The total is set at 151.5. Illinois is coming off a monster […]
Mirkovic’s monster tourney debut lifts Illinois past Penn
GREENVILLE, SC — And we’re off. David Mirkovic (29 points, 17 rebounds) and No. 3 Illinois won a NCAA Tournament game for the third consecutive season in a 105-70 victory over Fran McCaffery and No. 14 Penn on Thursday night in Greenville, South Carolina. The Fighting Illini (25-8) now book a date with No. 11 […]
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