A year ago, 6-foot-6 wing Jake Davis arrived in Champaign best known for two things: his three-point shooting ability and his long, luscious locks – perhaps even more for the latter.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood , and even some veteran Illini , were buzzing with excitement this past offseason about an unheralded freshman: guard Keaton Wagler .
Illinois keeps finding ways to win. No Kylan Boswell ? No problem (for the most part). The Illini are riding a nine-game win streak – the most recent triumph coming in dramatic fashion at Purdue, behind a 46-point detonation from freshman guard Keaton Wagler .
Illinois is back home to take on its next challenge – a major one – in UCLA, one of the top women's basketball programs in the country. The Illini enter the matchup aiming to bounce back after a tough loss at Nebraska, where a slow start proved costly.
Gabe Jacas may not be a prospect that is a household name for fans starting to tune into draft coverage. His opponents over the past two seasons know him well and opposing offensive coordinators have had to plan to deal with him in the offensive gameplan.
Any reasonable up-to-the-moment evaluation of Illinois basketball, winners of nine straight – including Saturday's 88-82 instant classic over Purdue at Mackey Arena – has to go something like: "Hey, those guys are great.
Let’s rewind the clock to Dec. 13, 2025, when then-No. 23 Nebraska visited Champaign to take on 13th-ranked Illinois. With the score knotted at 80 apiece, an eager, albeit nervous, energy spread over the State Farm Center crowd.
Illinois didn’t just beat Purdue – it broke the basketball calculator. Somewhere deep in the spreadsheets, a formula quietly blinked, sighed and accepted reality: Illinois basketball now owns the most efficient offense in KenPom history.
With the season officially in the books, momentum around Illinois football hasn’t slowed one bit. The Illini capped a strong 9-4 campaign and followed it up by signing a historic 2026 recruiting class, setting the tone for what the program wants to be moving forward.