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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Sport
- Chicago Tribune
Big Ten notebook: Illinois football won't be sneaking up on anyone
LAS VEGAS — Illinois was supposed to be a sleeper, perhaps this year's version of Indiana. But with so much hype coming out of Champaign, and the preseason poll landing Illinois in fourth place, the Illini won't be sneaking up on anyone. 'I think (Illinois coach) Bret's (Bielema) built something the way that he wanted to build it,' Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said at Big Ten football media days. 'And he's got guys that fit his program, his culture, and now they have an experienced team, which when you're an experienced team, you're always dangerous.' Defensive back Xavier Scott pointed out the Illini's schedule, having to open the season with seven straight games before a bye, but he and his teammates are looking forward to the challenge. 'We're just excited to see what we got, we're just going to continue to do what we do and continue to grind to success,' Scott said. 'We want to make this an every-year type of thing where we're winning games, multiple games, and we're making more bowl games … and even playoff runs. We're just trying to make that the culture of Illinois.' After a surprising 10-0 start, a program-record 11 wins and a trip to the College Football Playoff, some believe Indiana is destined to take a step backward in 2025. Coach Curt Cignetti and his team, however, didn't get the memo. 'We're not looking to sustain it, we're looking to improve it,' Cignetti said Tuesday. 'And the way you do that is by having the right people on the bus, upstairs in the coaches' offices, downstairs in the locker room.' And with that, he said, is a standard he set long ago at James Madison, one that includes a crystal clear blueprint with expectations of never accepting anything less than what's been previously accomplished. 'Consistency day in, day out,' Cignetti added. 'Consistency is huge so that we can play fast, physical, relentless, smart, disciplined, poised, not affected by success, not affected by failure, and never ever satisfied until the game is over.' Nonetheless, the Hoosiers' road back to the playoffs is no easy chore, as their conference slate includes trips to Oregon and Penn State — two College Football Playoff teams they didn't face last year. The Big Ten media poll projected a sixth-place finish for the Hoosiers, indicating they may have been a one-hit wonder. 'I know that's the buzzword — fluke — but I think at the end of the day, we've always overcome whatever expectations people have of us,' said returning all-Big Ten defensive end Mikail Kamara, who followed Cignetti from James Madison. 'So, I feel the way that Cig runs the ship and has a standard, I feel like everyone's kind of bought into it. 'The only goal that we have is to win a championship. I think last year was fun; we wanted to win games, and it was completely all new to us. But now, it's like, we've cemented ourselves in the Big Ten and we're going to go take it over and win.' Normally, the Big Ten holds its media days inside Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, and the three-day event certainly could have carried momentum over from the WNBA's All-Star weekend. But the venue was booked for the week. So, rather than return to another old home, Chicago, the 18-team conference chose Las Vegas, a city where it does not have an actual team but that is closer to some of its newer programs — USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington. 'I think, obviously, we are a conference that goes coast to coast, so having some presence closer to our West Coast members is not a bad thing,' commissioner Tony Petitti said. 'It started with logistics, to be really candid.' Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola made the rounds, donning a customized suit that reeked of success while embracing a Las Vegas vibe. Wearing a crisp black suit with red piping and playing cards stitched on the inside to match his red-bottom Christian Louboutin shoes, the second-year signal caller said the Cornhuskers, picked to finish eighth by media members, are loaded with confidence heading into camp. Nebraska started 5-1 last year, before finishing 2-5. One fun fact: Huskers coach Matt Rhule's teams at Baylor and Temple each improved by four wins from his second to third seasons. 'It all stems from the work that's been put in, all the preparation that guys have had,' Raiola said. 'It's going to be an exciting season, guys are ready to go, and there's no stopping us getting to our goals. The consistency of believing in the program, believing in what we believe, and not losing sight of that. 'I think once guys understand that when something works, that you just keep sticking to it and you don't fade from it, you get a strong (result) at the end of the day.'
Fox Sports
11-07-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
2025 College Football Predictions: 'This Year's Indiana Is Illinois'
Is Illinois Fighting Illini football back? As someone who did time in Champaign as an undergrad during the Ron Zook years, and spent his fair share of hours watching awful Illini football games at Memorial Stadium, I can't believe I even typed that question out. Yet here we are, six weeks before the 2025 college football season and Bret Bielema's Illini are one of the most popular offseason darlings. In fact, my FOX Sports teammate Joel Klatt recently ranked Illinois as the No. 1 most likely team to make the College Football Playoff for the first time. "Bielema has built this team into what he wants," Klatt said on "The Joel Klatt Show." "Physical and tough. They [beat South Carolina] in the bowl game. Sixteen starters are back. [Quarterback] Luke Altmeyer is back for his third season and the entire offensive line is back in front of him. "Here's the schedule," Klatt continued. "They don't have to play Penn State, Oregon or Michigan and they get Ohio State at home. They've got a Missouri-esque Big Ten schedule and I think they've hit the lottery. "This year's Indiana is Illinois." Cue a bartender at KAMS pouring a round of blue guys. The two big question marks I have around the roster are at wide receiver and defensive line. It won't be easy to replace NFL receivers Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin, and there are three newcomers on defense in the trenches. It'll also take 10 wins to make the CFP, so the Illini must be even better than last year. If I've learned anything over the years, it's that it's much easier for a non-blue blood to come out of nowhere than it is to sustain success. Illinois' last 10-win regular season came back in 2001, with quarterback Kurt Kittner, star wideout Brandon Lloyd, defensive backs Eugene Wilson and Christian Morton, and with head coach Ron Turner at the helm. The 2002 team finished 5-7. This year's Illini have a regular-season win total of 8.5 (u-155) at BetMGM, and they're as high as +575 to be a playoff team across the market. One Las Vegas bookmaker sees the upside Klatt sees. "The program is much improved," Wynn Resorts trading manager Motoi Pearson told me. "I don't know if they're going to make the Playoff, but after what Indiana did last year, I'm basically a believer in any team ever." "I have Illinois 16 teams higher than Indiana," Pearson admitted. What's that spread on a neutral field? "Illinois -4." Elsewhere, I can't stop salivating at the thought of getting points with Miami in the Hurricanes' home opener against Notre Dame on Sunday, Aug. 31. The Irish are fresh off a run to the national championship game and morale is high. So is the appetite to bet Marcus Freeman's squad, as ND is currently -3. Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck is a polarizing player, but FanDuel has a stale 37-1 price on him to win the Heisman Trophy. Let's not forget Beck was a co-favorite last August while at Georgia and you can argue Miami's offensive style is more conducive to big quarterback stats and success than most. Just ask Cam Ward, the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. I rarely bet Heisman preseason favorites and have little interest in Texas quarterback Arch Manning around 6-to-1. If anything, maybe he'll struggle at Ohio State or Florida, and we can jump in at double digits. Only six more weeks 'til our Saturdays are back. Sam Panayotovich is a sports betting analyst for FOX Sports and the BetMGM Network. He previously worked for WGN Radio, NBC Sports and VSiN. Follow him on Twitter @spshoot. Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account , and follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily! recommended Item 1 of 3 Get more from the College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Coach Bielema launching Military Appreciation Day initiative at Memorial Stadium
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Illinois Head Football Coach Bret Bielema and his family are kicking off an initiative to honor those who serve in the military. In recognition of Military Appreciation Day on Nov. 15 vs. Maryland, Bielema has pledged to match tickets purchased by Illini fans to bring veterans, active-duty military and their families to Memorial Stadium. This initiative is aimed at filling the seats with heroes from across Illinois and beyond for the team's annual Military Appreciation game. Advertisement Nick Hankins Jr. discusses Illinois football commitment Additionally, the matched tickets will be donated directly to service members and organizations that support them. 'Our family believes deeply in honoring those who sacrifice so much for our freedom and safety,' Bielema said. 'We are grateful for the opportunity to say thank you and give them the chance to enjoy a day of celebration, recognition, and Illini Football.' Fans are being invited to participate by buying specially designated $20 tickets through the campaign. For every ticket purchased, Bielema will match it in an effort to double the impact and the number of honored guests who will get to experience and enjoy the game. Advertisement More information, including how people are able to contribute and how organizations can request donated tickets, is available here. Tickets for the Military Appreciation initiative will be given out through Vet Tix. Anyone interested in getting tickets through this program can register on their website and create an account. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
Yahoo
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tate Some early July Illini basketball musings
Jul. 8—With Brad Underwood's Illini men's basketball team so dependent on southeastern Europe, we see confusing visa questions growing alongside a mountain of anticipated courtroom dramas. Payments to international athletes from businesses and third-party donors have always required clever maneuvering, some of it offshore in nature. And now we have new caps on name, image and likeness deals plus distributions to foreign players by the universities, with the same visa limitations ... a field day for attorneys. Advertisement Underwood remains confident but, as yet, Serbian guard Mihailo Petrovic hasn't formerly signed with the UI, and neither he nor Montenegrin forward David Mirkovic has crossed the pond. Those two are among nearly 2,000 foreign-born men and women players among 364 Division I basketball programs, many with visas hanging over their heads. Adding to the confusion, some athletes are contacting NIL-savvy attorneys before relinquishing "ownership rights" to their schools, a fresh load dropped squarely on the remuneration table. For now, remember that NIL limitations didn't go into effect until July 1, so prepaid athletes are receiving pay-for-play amounts that won't be available to them in 2025-26. Advertisement Hits and misses The United States topped 100 points during six straight games in the FIBA U19 World Cup in Switzerland, with former Illini Morez Johnson Jr. displaying his customary physicality (he was ejected from an early game for a hard foul). In Sunday's 109-76 title-game defeat of Germany, Johnson was surrounded by mobile gunners who seldom threw the ball to the post, but he speared 10 rebounds and his infrequent touches resulted in 15 points. No, not on jumpers, but via three dunks, a post layup and a put-back, plus free throws. He had seven points and seven rebounds in the semifinal rout of New Zealand. Johnson's comments there indicated an unhappiness with the UI's substitution pattern, but he could see more of that at Michigan where 7-3 UCLA transfer Aday Mara and 6-9 UAB transfer Yaxel Lendeborg are expected to share the two inside positions with him ... or maybe coach Dusty May will play all three. Advertisement Johnson's subbing concerns reminded of a similar statement by Mt. Zion's prize tight end, JC Anderson, who chose Mississippi in part because he disliked the UI's multi-tight end rotations. Pondering the past Kasparas Jakucionis "lost" millions in dropping from the anticipated Top 10 to No. 20 — one slot ahead of former Illini teammate Will Riley — in the NBA draft. But don't despair. Jakucionis signed a juicy four-year contract worth a reported $17 million that far exceeds the regular $2.5 million first-year salary ... with one big "if" ... if Miami picks up the third- and fourth-year options when the income balloons. Why did Jakucionis fall so far in the draft? Clearly, his late-season play, when NBA scouts were busy comparing him with others (23 international players were drafted). Advertisement In the UI's last seven games, Jakucionis' scoring dropped off to 11.6 points, and he had six turnovers each in the two Big Ten tournament games and the two NCAA tournament games. Previously, in touted matchups, he accumulated 23 turnovers against SEC foes Alabama, Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri ... 47 miscues in those eight "big games." His three-point shooting dropped off to 24.5 percent in the final 10 games. And in significant portions of six crucial March games, Underwood asked defensive standout Kylan Boswell to assume much of the playmaking. Boswell averaged 17.6 points in the final seven and had 23 points and six assists in the second-round NCAA loss to Kentucky. For all of his extraordinary assets, the late-season slump by Jakucionis surely explains NBA concerns. State pride Advertisement The first-ever Illini basketball team, which handled Champaign High easily but lost to Evanston YMCA, had two regulars from Nebraska in 1905-06. That was unusual because throughout the 20th century and all the way through John Groce, the overwhelming majority of front-liners hailed from the home state. Of the Top 25 scorers in UI history, only Trent Frazier, Cory Bradford, Kofi Cockburn and Nick Weatherspoon played high school basketball outside the state. Back in 1937, Illinoisans Lou Boudreau, Harry Combes and Bud Riegel sparked a Big Ten titlist. Jumping ahead to the Whiz Kids, unbeaten in 1943 Big Ten play, the regulars were all-Illini after South Bend's Vic Wukovits graduated in 1942. Combes' great teams in the early 1950s were Illinois-reared, including Champaign's Ted Beach and Rod Fletcher on the 1951 Final Four team. Lou Henson's Flyin' Illini were all-Illinois in 1989. Lon Kruger and Bill Self, who inherited three quality Peorians, put together Big Ten champions with home-state starting lineups. Bruce Weber's 2005 NCAA runners-up had just two important outsiders, Deon Williams and sub Jack Ingram. Advertisement And so it rolled until in-state talent dwindled — many prep stars leaving like Lemont's Gabe Sularski recently moving to Utah — and Underwood has gone Balkan-strong this time around with Thornton product Ty Rodgers likely sidelined (knee surgery) and Champaign native Boswell prepping in Arizona. Get used to it. The comfortable basketball world we knew is unrecognizable. Loren Tate writes for The News-Gazette. He can be reached at .
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Two former Illini open up play at John Deere Classic
Two former Illini open up play at John Deere Classic SILVIS, Ill. (WCIA) — Brian Campbell and Nick Hardy opened up day one of competition at TPC Deere Run. Campbell charged up into a tie for eighth, going -6 for round one. He had zero bogeys and six birdies for his opening round. Advertisement Hardy responded with a pair of birdies after making the turn to the front nine, but a bogey on hole nine gave him a -1 for his scorecard after round one. Campbell tees off at 7:51 a.m. on hole 10 for his second round on Friday, while Hardy tees off on hole one at 7:18 a.m. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to
