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TCR Notebooks

The Champaign Room •

‘Your play adjusts to the way they’re calling it’: Recapping Saturday’s officiating circus

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — There was a lot to be upset about on Saturday’s 25-17 loss to Minnesota, but one group of interest for Illinois head coach Bret Bielema was the zebras.
An early missed holding on linebacker Seth Coleman had Bielema on the hashes. An expired play clock and an assessed (then given back) timeout had him halfway to the numbers. A no-call on his offense’s final drive had his entire sideline and the better part of 58 thousand screaming.
The game was frustrating enough as it was for B...
The Champaign Room •

‘I’m looking for the next Terrence’: Underwood wants more from team as offseason nears end

With just over a dozen days until his team starts its 2024-25 season, Illinois men’s basketball head coach Brad Underwood has just one preseason exhibition remaining to assess where his team stands before game time. In Sunday’s exhibition game against Ole Miss, he has an opportunity to find the answer to some questions he still has.
“We’re not gonna go into a real in-depth scout at all with Ole Miss,” Underwood said during availability to the media on Thursday. “It’s more gonna be personnel-base...
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‘It’s definitely worth it’: Illinois using crowd noise to prepare for No. 1 Oregon

If you were on campus on Tuesday morning, you likely overheard some of the crowd noise that the football team is using to prepare for a loud environment when they travel to play Oregon this Saturday.
The trip to Eugene is the program’s first conference road game with one of the four new former Pac-12 teams, with the team slated to host USC and visit Washington next year.
“I ain’t never been out there that far to the west, but it’s gonna be pretty exciting,” said defensive back Xavier Scott on Tu...
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How Illinois is studying the NBA for its pro-ready offense

In basketball, like any other field, you have to learn from the best if you wish to be the best. During Illinois men’s basketball’s on-campus media day last week, The Champaign Room spoke with members of Illinois’ coaching staff to talk NBA offenses, and how Illinois has been following trends at the highest level of basketball.
A few months ago while assessing his offseason additions, Illinois men’s basketball head coach Brad Underwood was excited at the combination of size and shooting that the...
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‘Tim was awesome’: Underwood praises Anderson after departure from program

At Big Ten Media Days in Rosemont, Illinois, Brad Underwood spoke on former assistant coach Tim Anderson for the first time since it was announced he would step away from the program indefinitely in September.
When asked by a member of the media about how his staff will fill the void that Anderson left, Underwood highlighted the rest of his staff.
“We got Orlando [Antigua] back, and Geoff [Alexander] has been killing it on the recruiting trail,” Underwood said, but acknowledged that Anderson, wh...
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‘It’s an absolute gauntlet’: Green loving the new Big Ten

Illini Nation is now entering year three of the Shauna Green experience. With two postseason appearances and one postseason trophy under her belt, Green now looks to build upon the legacy she’s built at Illinois and build towards even greater. TCR’s Zeno Jo was in Rosemont, Illinois for Big Ten Media Days, and spoke with Green and a handful of her Big Ten head coaching colleagues.
This isn’t your parents’ Big Ten conference. This also isn’t the women’s sports landscape that they grew up in, eit...
The Champaign Room •

‘Routine for him’: Illinois’ receivers showed up when it mattered most

Goooood afternoon, Illini fans. If you’re reading this on Sunday, it’s the one-year anniversary of the Illini’s loss to Kansas in Lawrence. It’s also the one-day anniversary (not sure if that’s a thing) of the win over No. 19 Kansas in Champaign. There were plenty of positives to take away from the game, including but not limited, to our receiving game.
“Holy cow, did you see that catch?”
That’s a question you could’ve asked a handful of times during Illinois’ 23-17 upset win over the Kansas Jay...
The Champaign Room •

‘Routine for him’: Illinois’ receivers showed up when it mattered most

Goooood afternoon, Illini fans. If you’re reading this on Sunday, it’s the one-year anniversary of the Illini’s loss to Kansas in Lawrence. It’s also the one-day anniversary (not sure if that’s a thing) of the win over No. 19 Kansas in Champaign. There were plenty of positives to take away from the game, including but not limited, to our receiving game.
“Holy cow, did you see that catch?”
That’s a question you could’ve asked a handful of times during Illinois’ 23-17 upset win over the Kansas Jay...
The Champaign Room •

Three questions following Illinois’ big win over EIU

What a win, huh Illini fans? TCR’s own Brandt Dolce had a fantastic column this week about Illinois football answering every question in the team’s win over EIU, but here’s a shot at playing devil’s advocate.
Illinois’ dominant 45-0 win over Eastern Illinois answered a lot of questions for fans who were in the dark following a long offseason, but it also left them with a few questions. It can’t all be good, right?
But first, what did we learn? Altmyer is the surefire QB1. An efficient outing sa...
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How EA Sports’ new video game helped an Illinois punter on the field

How many national championships does Illinois have? Five, thanks to some success in the early and mid-20th century, but that number could be much higher if you’re playing EA Sports’ College Football 25 on your PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X/S.
It’s the developer’s first college football game since NCAA Football 14, released in 2013, bringing much hype to gaming football fans.
While players and fans alike are having fun with the video game, one Illinois player has been using the game to learn mor...
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‘We’re gonna ball in them’: Illini react to Red Grange throwback uniforms

On Wednesday, Illinois football announced that it would honor the legacy of Red Grange and his six-touchdown day for Memorial Stadium’s rededication game on Oct. 19, when the Illini host the Michigan Wolverines.
October’s game will mark exactly 100 years since ‘The Galloping Ghost’ ran for five touchdowns and threw for another against the Wolverines. The game was Memorial Stadium’s “Dedication Game,” which honored those who served the nation in World War I.
In the first game ever played at Memo...
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Brad Underwood is building an NBA factory in Champaign

Call it an overreaction. Bradley Cole Underwood might go down as the founding father of a great basketball empire in Champaign. A tenure that started slow and with results arguably worse than his predecessor has outgrown and built upon it.
Just under two months ago, Brad Underwood, as he’s more commonly known, was speaking to the media to discuss the signing of Croatian big man Tomislav Ivisic. In the same breath that he touched on the skillset of his new 7-foot-1 Eastern European giant, he ment...
The Champaign Room •

‘Elite’: Brad Underwood’s analysis of his newest portal pickups

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — On Tuesday, Illinois basketball head coach Brad Underwood spoke to the media for the first time since the program signed Ben Humichrous and Tomislav Ivisic.

In introducing the pair of 6-foot-9-plus players, Underwood dug deep into the skills that both athletes bring to the table and what Illini fans can expect from them when they take the court this fall.

He also discussed the recruiting philosophy behind his six-man class that he’s brought in from the transfer portal and Eur
The Champaign Room •

Does Illinois have a culture conundrum on its hands?

Last Tuesday, when head coach Brad Underwood and new associate coach Orlando Antigua were made available to the media, much of the talk would be about the latter’s return to Champaign and the process behind it. As they spoke further, talk shifted towards roster construction and — you guessed it — the transfer portal.

It’s not particularly surprising, as Antigua is a phenomenal developer of talent. Over the years, he’s coached NBA-level talents like Anthony Davis, Karl-Anthony Towns and DeMarcus
The Champaign Room •

How Brad Underwood pulled Orlando Antigua back to Champaign

On Tuesday, Orlando Antigua spoke to the media for the first time since being announced as the team’s associate head coach, bringing him back to Champaign for the first time since 2021. Head coach Brad Underwood was also available to the media.

When he left, it was for his then-former employers at Kentucky and to reunite with his then-former boss John Calipari. Antigua chose not to follow Cal to his new job at Arkansas, and despite rumors of him wanting to stay in Lexington to work with new hir
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Offensive takeaways from Illinois’ 2024 spring game

On an offense that replaces seven starters, there were several questions surrounding how well Illinois could get the ball downfield this fall.

With 41 points combined by the offensive units, questions were asked and answered on Saturday as the Blue and White teams drew 0-0 in a game that had no official scoring.

Leary was under center for the second-team offense White team, while Luke Altmyer started the game for the first-team offense Blue team. On the first exchange of offensive drives, the
The Champaign Room •

The Shauna Green Experience: Three words, two years, one trophy

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In only year two, Shauna Green has hoisted a trophy and secured a spot in the rafters of State Farm Center. Using three key words, here’s more about what Green and her staff are building at Illinois, her place in the program’s history, and the heights it could reach.

Just over two years after the retirement of former head coach Nancy Fahey, Shauna Green did something that nine Illinois head coaches b
The Champaign Room •

Shauna Green has Illinois playing its best basketball... ever?

Two months ago, Illinois’ season was looking like one of years past.

Years past of course referring to the Dark Ages of Illinois Women’s Basketball. When recording double-digit wins was a milestone and a record above .500 was a once-in-a-blue-moon-type rarity.

To open the month of February, Illinois dropped a game on the road to Purdue. Illinois played some of the worst basketball it had all season long, and checked all of the boxes of a bad Illinois loss. They had a slow start on both ends of
The Champaign Room •

‘Whole again’: Underwood, Illinois finally at full strength

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Halfway through his team’s Big Ten season, Brad Underwood is happy with where the Fighting Illini are for more reasons than just their impressive road victory over Ohio State.

“I like where we’re at because we’re whole again. We’re finally back in a position where we have our roster,” Underwood said on Saturday.

On top of Terrence Shannon Jr.’s suspension, Illinois has been without Coleman Hawkins, Amani Hansberry and Niccolo Moretti due to injury this season. “We played a lo
The Champaign Room •

Underwood, Harmon on what Shannon’s return means to Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — After a well-rounded, team victory over the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, Illinois hits the road to take on a team it’s faced victory against in a big way.

Head coach Brad Underwood was available to the media on Tuesday to look ahead at the in-state matchup, reflect on Terrence Shannon Jr.’s return from suspension, and touch on recruiting.

The Fighting Illini (14-4, 5-2 Big Ten) sit third in the Big Ten behind Wisconsin and Purdue, and sit just one spot above the Northwestern Wild
The Champaign Room •

Underwood comments on Shannon’s lawsuit ahead of MSU game

You’ll do hard to walk away from an Illinois basketball loss feeling good, but that’s exactly what happened last week when a comeback at No. 1 Purdue was stopped short in an 83-78 loss.

And they did it without Terrence Shannon Jr.

Illinois head coach Brad Underwood was available to the media on Wednesday and reflected on the Purdue loss and looked ahead at the Michigan State game.

“Some good, some bad, some ugly, some not-so-ugly,” was how Underwood summed up the loss to the best team in the
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Underwood: Edey and No. 1 Purdue ‘a different animal’

Illinois (11-2, 2-0 Big Ten) is back in the top ten of the AP Top 25 Poll for the first time since the star-laden 2020-21 season. They’re ranked ninth in the country and playing their best basketball of the season, without arguably their best player, and step into hostile territory with a matchup against the best team in the nation just a day away.

So, about last week...

Just a day after Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended, Illinois blew out Fairleigh Dickinson at home, 104-71. Dain Dainja and
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Too little, too late for Illinois Volleyball?

Illinois Volleyball is in a tough spot. After notching nine wins in eleven matches, it seemed like a once-improbably push for postseason play was on the cards... until they met the Golden Gophers. More about Illinois’ once-prospective postseason hopes, the story behind Raina Terry’s return and the murmurs surrounding the RPI.

The story heading into Friday’s match against the Minnesota Golden Gophers was that Illinois had a bad start to the season. They were riddled with injuries and had a few b
The Champaign Room •

‘Everyone’s tough’: Challenges ahead in homestretch for Illinois Volleyball

It’s been an up-and-down year for Illinois Volleyball. Injuries and the nature of the Big Ten being the toughest volleyball conference in the nation have made the 2023 season tough for the Illini, but following a two-match road trip to the East Coast, they are .500 on the season.

“Everyone’s tough and you’re seeing that with results within our conference,” said head coach Chris Tamas. “The gap is dwindling between the top and the bottom.”

The team is on the longest winning streak of its season

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