Second Half Kohl-apse

A seesaw affair only for the first 20 minutes, Illinois' confidence went up, thanks to 27 points from junior Demetri McCamey, and No.11 Wisconsin's confidence stayed down, as the Badgers shot 25.8 percent in the closing half, the main reason their 18-game home winning streak was snapped in a 63-56 upset to Illinois.   Full Story

Do you believe in miracles? The Fighting Illini basketball team is making believers out of fans and skeptics alike, conquering the Wisconsin Badgers in Madison 63-56 Tuesday night. The Badgers were 51-0 against unranked Big 10 foes in the Kohl Center under Coach Bo Ryan before the Illini triumph. The Illini are now 9-3 in the Big 10 and are playing their best ball.   Full Story

Illinois head coach Bruce Weber will still get after Demetri McCamey, but he couldn't have been happier with his junior's 27-point performance in a 63-56 victory over No.11 Wisconsin on Madison Tuesday.   Full Story

Wisconsin led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but couldn't shut down the dynamic junior duo of Demetri McCamey (27 points) and Mike Tisdale (19 points), as Illinois wins the match-up of second-place teams by knocking off Wisconsin, 63-56, in Madison Tuesday, ending the Badgers' 18-game home court winning streak.   Full Story

Thanks to Illinois beating up on Michigan State, the Big Ten Conference is a race again. With both the Illini and the Badgers sitting at three losses a piece, No.11 Wisconsin hopes to thank Illinois by knocking them down a pedestal when the two teams meet in Madison Tuesday night.   Full Story

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. After playing and defeating the mighty Michigan State Spartans at home Saturday, the Fighting Illini travel to Madison to take on Wisconsin Tuesday evening. The Badgers may be playing the best ball in the Big 10 at this time, and they have only five Big 10 losses at home in Bo Ryan's tenure as coach. The Illini have their work cut out for them.   Full Story

College basketball coaching is a rigorous profession. It requires long hours, tireless effort and mental toughness to withstand all the down times. Like myriad others, Illinois assistant Gary Nottingham wants to be a head coach. Competition is fierce, and the criteria used to hire coaches are often skewed by the whims of those in charge. Many super coaches go unnoticed.    Full Story

Culver Military Academy is developing a good young nucleus of basketball players who will eventually be a formidable opponent for anyone. Among their starters is former Rantoul product Travis Britt. The sophomore's skills are displayed in these video highlights from two holiday tournaments.   Full Story

The Fighting Illini completed a perfect College GameDay experience with a 78-73 win over Michigan State at the Assembly Hall Saturday night. From 7:30am on, the Orange Krush led an amazing fan charge that impressed a national audience throughout the day. They had enough left over to blow the roof off the Assembly Hall with the big win.   Full Story

Now comes something special. ESPN College GameDay will spend all day on campus Saturday ahead of an evening matchup between the second place Fighting Illini and Big 10 leading Michigan State. GameDay will make Illinois center stage, reporting live from the Assembly Hall during it's morning show while also taping segments to run throughout the day.    Full Story

The Fighting Illini basketball team has been inconsistent this year, and part of the problem is having to incorporate young players into the lineup. It takes them awhile to adapt to college and the complexities of the game. But players like D.J. Richardson will always eventually become top players because of their work ethic and hunger to improve.   Full Story

The Fighting Illini basketball team overcame a 7 minute second half drought and held on to defeat Iowa 57-49 in Iowa City Wednesday. With the win, the Illini advance their record to 15-8, 7-3 in the Big 10. Demetri McCamey led the Illini with 15 points as they retain second place in the conference ahead of a GameDay home showdown with Big 10 leader Michigan State Saturday.   Full Story

With College GameDay coming to Champaign Saturday, it is easy to think of that situation and ignore what comes before. But the Fighting Illini can't afford to look past their trip to Iowa. The Hawkeyes are an improving team and are expected to give the Illini a battle in Iowa City. GameDay will be much less significant if the Illini go into their Saturday game after a loss.   Full Story

After two road games, the Fighting Illini are home for a return engagement with Indiana Saturday afternoon. Designated a Coaches vs. Cancer game, the Illini will wear pink shoes and white jerseys with pink trim to provide support for that cause. But regardless of the uniform colors, the Illini need to win this game to stay in the hunt for an NCAA berth.   Full Story

Bloomington - See what Tom Crean had to say about his team accomplished during its six days of preparation leading up to tomorrow afternoon's game at Illinois...   Full Story

The Fighting Illini basketball team has an excellent freshman class, and the three receiving playing time are showing good progress as they get more experience. But freshman year is always subject to ups and downs, and each player needs to keep learning. Brandon Paul will be outstanding eventually, once he finally figures out what he can do on the court.   Full Story

The Fighting Illini basketball team got back on a winning track by holding on at Penn State, 77-67. Illinois ended a three game losing skid and won for the first time in Happy Valley since 2007. There was more team play and better chemistry than Illini fans had seen in awhile. Everyone contributed to the win.   Full Story

The Fighting Illini hope to end their three game losing skid as they travel to play Penn State Wednesday night. The Nittany Lions have lost all seven games of their Big 10 this season thus far, but they have won four of the last six against the Illini and the last two in Bryce Jordan Center. Five of the last 9 games between the two have been decided by one point.   Full Story

Chicago Simeon always plays quality basketball. Coach Robert Smith insists on teamwork and gets it. As usual, he is loaded this year and will challenge for the state championship. Among his players are at least two who are drawing interest from the Fighting Illini, freshman Jabari Parker and sophomore Jelani Neely.    Full Story

Fighting Illini basketball coach Bruce Weber continues to look for ways of motivating his team to play harder, more consistently and more together in an effort to win games. With 19 games completed, a leader still hasn't emerged to guide the team on and off the floor. Weber will now allow his players to vote on captains. Maybe that will help.    Full Story

The Fighting Illini couldn't hold onto an 8 point lead in the second half as Northwestern recovered for a 73-68 win in Evanston Saturday night. It marked the first Wildcat victory over the UI in six years and twelve games. Illinois had won 19 of the last 20 and 26 of the last 28 meetings between the two teams, but NW finally ended those losing streaks.   Full Story

Reeling from a two game losing streak, the Fighting Illini basketball team travels to Evanston to take on the Northwestern Wildcats 7:00pm Saturday. The Illini squeaked by NU at home in overtime, so they will have a battle on their hands.   Full Story

Recruiting is the hot topic in basketball. Fans want to know who their favorite team will recruit. Talent evaluators are making big bucks rating players, and coaches' careers are made or broken on their ability to attract top players to their program. Illini assistant Gary Nottingham has seen recruiting at all levels, and he has strong opinions on the subject.    Full Story

Just a sophomore, DeJuan Marrero is already a team leader for Bowman Academy in Gary, Indiana. Recruited by Illinois and a number of other top schools, Marrero has tremendous potential. These video highlights are from the Shootout at the Hall December 12, 2009.   Full Story

The Fighting Illini basketball team started two freshmen in its first few games. Like all freshmen, Brandon Paul and D.J. Richardson have had ups and downs. A third member of their recruiting class is beginning to make his mark on the team as well. Tyler Griffey is a tremendous shooter who is learning the nuances of defense and gaining more playing time as he does.    Full Story