Illini Sports

North Carolina tackle is fourth commit for Illinois in class

The Illinois men’s basketball team is Italy bound in less than two weeks. The Illini will split their 10-day trip among three different Italian cities, arriving in Milan the morning of Aug. 5 before traveling to Florence and Rome.

It is now on him. He is in charge of the defense. If it fails, there will be nobody else to blame.

The inaugural NCAA Basketball Academy will begin in earnest Tuesday morning as hundreds of talented basketball players descend on Champaign-Urbana for camp activities and showcases from Tuesday to Sunday.

Before the start of Illinois football's training camp on Aug. 2 in Champaign, beat writer SCOTT RICHEY is counting down the Top 50 most important Illini heading into the 2019 season.

Before the start of Illinois football's training camp on Aug. 2 in Champaign, beat writer Bob Asmussen is counting down the top 50 teams heading into the 2019 college football season.

The NCAA College Basketball Academy in Champaign has 39 players from the state of Illinois set to attend, including Champaign Central’s Pryce Punkay in the first session and Mahomet-Seymour’s Grant Coleman in the second.

In the last two seasons, eight College Football Playoff invitations went out. Everybody RSPV’d. The powerful SEC grabbed three, the ACC and Big 12 each gobbled two. And Notre Dame took one. How about the Big Ten? Zero. Zip. Zilch.

The middle of July is too early in Kipper Nichols’ estimation to talk expectations, but the Cleveland native makes clear any expectation he sets for himself for the 2019-20 season will be higher than anyone else’s.

The Illini weren’t simply overlooked in Chicago, they were invisible.

“If you ask any other guys, I live at Ubben Basketball Complex pretty much,” Illinois rising sophomore Giorgi Bezhanishvili said of his summer workout schedule. “I don’t know why I’m paying rent at an apartment because I pretty much live at Ubben. I get a lot of shots up.”

The collective Big Ten basketball rosters boast 21 international players from 18 different countries, including five apiece from Illinois and Nebraska. Our beat writer breaks down the top 10.

These movers-and-shakers in the college basketball world had themselves a bad week. Our college basketball writer explains why.

These movers-and-shakers in the college basketball world had themselves a bad week. Our college basketball writer explains why.

These movers-and-shakers in the college basketball world had themselves a good week. Our college basketball writer explains why.

Monday marks the start of the $25,000 Neitzel Family Open — an International Tennis Federation event — at Khan Outdoor Tennis Complex, running through July 28. Illinois men’s coach Brad Dancer discusses what’s on tap.

Before the start of Illinois football's training camp on Aug. 2 in Champaign, beat writer SCOTT RICHEY is counting down the Top 50 most important Illini heading into the 2019 season.

Before the start of Illinois football's training camp on Aug. 2 in Champaign, beat writer Bob Asmussen is counting down the top 50 teams heading into the 2019 college football season.

Happy 29th Birthday to former Fighting Illini football star Whitney Mercilus, who this year had the Houston Texans nominate him for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.

Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning until practice tips off.

The former Illinois offensive coordinator was funny and frank during day two of the Big Ten's football media kickoff at the Hilton in downtown Chicago on Friday. 

Northwestern enters the 2019 season picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten West in the preseason poll voted on by 34 Big Ten writers, but Wildcats coach Pat Fitzgerald isn't overly concerned.

Before the start of Illinois football's training camp on Aug. 2 in Champaign, beat writer SCOTT RICHEY is counting down the Top 50 most important Illini heading into the 2019 season.

Before the start of Illinois football's training camp on Aug. 2 in Champaign, beat writer Bob Asmussen is counting down the top 50 teams heading into the 2019 college football season.

STARTING MONDAY: The NCAA College Basketball Academy is the latest venture in the world of college basketball recruiting.