Basketball

May 14, 2025; Chicago, Il, USA; Will Riley talks to the media during the 2025 NBA Draft Combine at Marriott Marquis Chicago. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Illinois Basketball's Will Riley Receives NBA Draft Green Room Invite

Riley became the second Illini – alongside Kasparas Jakucionis – to receive an invite to the NBA Draft green room

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Illinois Basketball's Will Riley Receives NBA Draft Green Room Invite

Riley became the second Illini – alongside Kasparas Jakucionis – to receive an invite to the NBA Draft green room

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Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the first half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

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Illinois Basketball In Contact With Two More Class of 2027 Targets

The Illini have reached out to Josh Rivera, a New York shooting guard, and Darius Wabbington, a highly regarded big man

Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Ty Rodgers (20) reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the finals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

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Illinois Swingman Ty Rodgers Injured: How it Affects Him and the Illini

Rodgers was hurt playing in a pickup game in his native Michigan, Illini coach Brad Underwood told the media Monday

Mar 20, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood watches during NCAA Tournament First Round Practiceat Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

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Illinois Basketball Makes Official Contact With Trio of Class of 2027 Prospects

The Illini, who weren't able to make contact with rising juniors until June 15, got in touch with three key targets Sunday

Nov 13, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood applauds the crowd before a against the Oakland Golden Grizzlies at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Illinois Basketball Target Named Top Performer at NBPA Top 100 Camp

Jasiah Jervis, whom the Illini offered back in March, put on a show at Day 1 of the NBPA Top 100 Camp

Dec 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood acknowledges the fans before a game with the Chicago State Cougars at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Illinois Basketball Nearing Official Visit With Top-Three Point Guard in Country

The Illini are discussing an official visit with Dylan Mingo, the 13th-ranked overall prospect in the class of 2026

Dec 21, 2024; San Jose, California, USA; California Golden Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) before the game against the San Diego State Aztecs at SAP Center. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Basketball

Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for Andrej Stojakovic in First Season at Illinois

The Illini are expecting Stojakovic to carry a heavy load during his junior year in Champaign. Can he do it?

Mar 21, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) reacts during the second half against the Xavier Musketeers at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

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Illinois Guard Kasparas Jakucionis Earns Green Room Invite to NBA Draft

Jakucionis was invited to join all of this year's other top NBA prospects in the VIP holding area for draft night on June 25

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Massive Illinois Basketball Target Sets Official Visit to Big Ten Rival Purdue

7-foot-3 class of 2026 prospect Luigi Suigo, whom the Illini have hosted on campus, scheduled a mid-June visit with the Boilermakers

Dec 14, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kasparas Jakucionis (32) drives the ball against Tennessee Volunteers guard Chaz Lanier (2) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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ESPN Makes High- and Low-End NBA Comparisons for Illinois' Kasparas Jakucionis

The projected lottery pick drew comps to guards from two of the NBA's most prominent squads in the Lakers and Knicks

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Illinois Basketball Targeting Versatile Forward From Iowa

The Illini offered Colin Rice, an excellent shooter with downhill ability and great size on the wing (6-foot-7)

Feb 26, 2025; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) dribbles against SMU Mustangs guard AJ George (10) in the second half at Haas Pavilion. Mandatory Credit: Eakin Howard-Imagn Images

Basketball

Top 5 Big Ten Transfers: Illinois, Michigan, UCLA, Indiana and Iowa Add Key Pieces

The Big Ten did an excellent job in the portal, landing some of the most coveted transfers in the country

Nov 23, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood during the first half against the Maryland-Eastern Shore Hawks at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Illinois Basketball Extends Offer to Sharpshooting Class of 2026 Forward

The Illini are continuing to stay active in East Coast recruiting, recently offering Quinn Costello, a 6-foot-10 sniper from Boston on Wednesday

Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

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Illinois Adds to Grueling Non-Conference Schedule With Top Big 12 Program

The Illini set up a home-and-home series with Texas Tech – an expected top-15 team heading into next season

Feb 8, 2022; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talk after the game at Mackey Arena. Boilermakers won 84-68. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Ranking Illinois Basketball's Toughest Opponents for the 2025-26 Season

The Illini play a handful of top programs in both non-conference and conference play. Here are the top five.

Feb 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) gets a hand from teammate Kylan Boswell (4) during the second half against the UCLA Bruins at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Three Current Illinois Basketball Players Most Likely to Thrive in the NBA

The Illini have a handful of intriguing next-level prospects. Here are the top three, their NBA comparisons and how they would fit in the league.

Jan 21, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Purdue Boilermakers guard Braden Smith (3) Leans into Ohio State Buckeyes guard Bruce Thornton (2) during the second half at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

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Top Five Big Ten Returners for 2025-26: Braden Smith, Tomislav Ivisic and More

The Big Ten will bring back numerous game-changing talents, but a few stand above the rest

Dec 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) shoots the ball over Chicago State Cougars guard Gabe Spinelli (12) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Illinois Respected in Andy Katz's Power 37, But Still Trails Conference Foes

The Illini were listed at No. 17 overall in Katz's latest rankings but remain behind numerous Big Ten squads

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Illinois Basketball Projected as Top-10 Team for 2025-26 by a Key Metric

The Illini are well-respected on both ends of the court by Bart Torvik, and have earned a top-10 preseason ranking from the metric

Oct 23, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Stephen A. Smith (Stephen Smith) on the ESPN NBA Countdown live set at Intuit Dome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

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ESPN's Stephen A. Smith Shouts Out Former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. on 'First Take'

Smith, the most vociferous talking head in sports television, revealed what new Minnesota Timberwolves owner Alex Rodriguez's take on Shannon

Mar 5, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Purdue Boilermakers head coach Matt Painter and Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood chat before the start of the game at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Ranking the Top 5 Big Ten Basketball Offseasons: Illinois, Purdue, Michigan and More

The game has changed: Roster-building, not player development, is the focal point of a college basketball offseason. Here are the five Big Ten squads that did it best.

Dec 20, 2014; St. Louis, MO, USA; A Illinois Fighting Illini cheerleader entertains during a time out in the second half of the game between the Missouri Tigers and the Illinois Fighting Illini at Scottrade Center. The Illinois Fighting Illini defeat the Missouri Tigers 62-59. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-Imagn Images

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Illinois Basketball's Best of the Century: No. 9 Frank Williams

The Illini have produced a number of stars over the past 25 years, and in this Illinois on SI series we highlight the best of the best

Illini head coach Brad Underwood, in orange, and associate head coach Orlando Antigua greets fans at the Class 3A Washington Sectional semifinal Tuesday, March 4, 2025 at Washington Community High School. The Redbirds' rallied to defeat Kankakee 65-63 in overtime.

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Illinois Basketball Offers the Son of NBA Veteran and Streetball Legend

The Illini on Saturday offered Reese Alston, a top-50 Class of 2027 prospect and the son of Rafer "Skip" Alston

May 24, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (00) shoots the ball against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half in game three of the western conference finals for the 2025 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

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Former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. Ignites Minnesota's NBA Playoffs Blowout Win

Shannon scored 15 points in key minutes to spur the Timberwolves' in a 143-101 win over Oklahoma City on Saturday

Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illinois head coach Brad Underwood during the second half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Basketball

Former Illinois Basketball Target Dame Sarr Selects a Destination: Duke

Illinois was originally the favorite to land Sarr, but on Thursday the Italian prospect officially pledged his talents to Duke