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Illinois forward Cearah Parchment (30) goes for a finish at the rim against Minnesota in the Illini's 78-73 loss to No. 22 Minnesota on Sunday at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.

The Illini fought hard but ultimately came up short in the closing minute of their final regular-season game

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The Illini fought hard but ultimately came up short in the closing minute of their final regular-season game

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Jan 24, 2026; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood looks at a referee during the first half of a game against the Purdue Boilermakers at Mackey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Basketball

The Illini have consistently been one of the better teams in the country in recent years, but have they gone as far as they can go?

Feb 7, 2026; Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Duke Blue Devils guard Dame Sarr (7) on the court in the second half at Dean E. Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Basketball

The Illini elected to take Stojakovic over Sarr this past offseason. Was it the right move?

Dec 9, 2025; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts to a call during the first half against the Ohio State Buckeyes Value City Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Basketball

The Illini offense may be one of college basketball's greatest ever, according to the metrics, but is it too one-dimensional to win a national title?

Feb 27, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Kylan Boswell (4) drives the ball against Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Basketball

The Illini, who are now losers of four of their past six, remain a very well-respected club in the key metrics

Feb 4, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Basketball

Johnson returned to Champaign to dominate the Illini, and after the dust settled, his former coach offered his perspective

Feb 27, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) drives the ball against Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Basketball

The Illini hung tough early, but the Wolverines were too much in the second half – and social media had opinions about it

Feb 27, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) loses his handle on the ball as Michigan Wolverines guard Roddy Gayle Jr. (11) defends during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Basketball

The Illini were knocked around and ultimately hit the deck in a knockout win for the Wolverines, the Big Ten's heavyweight champs

Feb 11, 2026; Evanston, Illinois, USA; Michigan Wolverines forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) dunks the ball against the Northwestern Wildcats during the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Basketball

Admit it: Sometimes you love to hate. And there's more than enough animosity to go around in Illini Nation for these five dreaded figures.

Feb 10, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) tries to control the ball in front of Wisconsin Badgers guard John Blackwell (25) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Basketball

Wagler's wonky shoulder may not be 100 percent, but he is available to play in Friday's home game against the Wolverines

Feb 15, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) and teammates take the court before the first half against the Indiana Hoosiers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Basketball

When the Illini (22-6, 13-4 Big Ten) are at their best, they may be unbeatable. The Wolverines (26-2, 16-1) will put that theory to the test Friday.

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

Basketball

The Illini have been hit hard by the transfer portal over the past few seasons, yet they continue to maintain their success

Feb 21, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Illinois guard Keaton Wagler (23) tries to score between UCLA guards Donovan Dent (left) and Eric Freeny (8) during the second half at Pauley Pavilion presented by Wescom Financial. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Basketball

Underwood on Thursday offered the closest thing to an update that could be expected on Wagler's banged-up shoulder

News

The Illini put up a savage fight against the Hawkeyes in Iowa City, but late-game woes cost them in the end

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Ty Rodgers (20) works out during NCAA Tournament First Round Practice at Fiserv Forum.

Basketball

Brad Underwood on Thursday gave an update on Rodgers, who hasn't played since tearing his patellar tendon in the summer of 2025

Jeremy Hunter was named Illinois wrestling's permanent head coach on Thursday after serving 25 years as an assistant for the program and assuming the role of acting head coach in December.

Olympic Sports

Hunter, a 25-year Illini assistant who had been serving as acting head coach, was officially named the program's head man Thursday

Jan 17, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood before the first half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Basketball

Underwood weighed in on former Illini big man Johnson, who will suit up as an opposing player against Illinois for the first time on Friday

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) directs the offense against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center.

Basketball

NCAA and Big Ten Tournament seeding is coming into focus as the Illini go for their sixth ranked win of the season

Feb 18, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood watches against the Southern California Trojans in the second half at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Basketball

Underwood, for all of his admirable qualities, isn't elite in the Xs-and-Os realm. Can he lead his team to a marquee win on Friday?

Basketball

The Big Ten title may be out of reach, but the Illini (22-6, 13-4 Big Ten) can still push for an NCAA Tournament No. 1 seed against the Wolverines (26-2, 16-1)

Nov 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood yells to his team during the second half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

Basketball

The Illini face the Wolverines in a key Big Ten showdown on Friday night. ESPN's analytics make their pick below.

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) throws the ball during the 2025 Music City Bowl at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Dec. 30, 2025.

Football

Altmyer, Gabe Jacas and J.C. Davis will all work out at the pro football scouting event scheduled for Feb. 25-March 2

Illinois guard Gretchen Dolan (4) will miss the remainder of the season because of a right knee injury, the Illini announced Wednesday.

News

Dolan, who hadn't played since Feb. 1 at Washington, underwent surgery for a knee injury that had hampered her for much of the 2025-26 season

Illinois forward Berry Wallace elevates for a shot over a Northwestern defender in the Illini's 92-65 win over the Wildcats on Sunday at Welsh-Ryan Arena in Evanston, Illinois.

News

The Illini (18-8, 8-7 Big Ten) are aiming to extend their winning streak in Iowa City on Thursday

Michigan players pose around head coach Dusty May during a postgame interview with Fox to celebrate the 83-71 win over Michigan State at Breslin Center in East Lansing on Friday, Jan. 30, 2026.

Basketball

The Illini will face their toughest test of the season to date, when No. 3 Michigan comes to town on Friday