Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here are numbers 30-25. 

• #30 Morez Johnson Jr. 
• #29 Marcus Arnold. 
• #28 Matthew Mayer. 
• #27 Kevin Turner. 
• #26 Mike Davis. 
• #25 Trent Frazier. 
  

With Illinois recruiting under Bruce Weber dropping off, especially after the Eric Gordon decommitment prior to the 2006-07 season, Illini fans were told to wait patiently for the heralded 2010 freshman class of Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head. 

Of course, that freshman class would disappoint and pale in comparison to its predecessor, a 2008-09 freshman class that included Brandon Paul, Tyler Griffey, Joseph Bertrand and D.J. Richardson, my 24th favorite Illinois basketball player of the 30 years of my fandom. 

With Paul at shooting guard, Richardson started at small forward as a true freshman with juniors Demetri McCamey, Mike Davis and Mike Tisdale. Out of Central High School in Peoria, Richardson had an amazing freshman season, winning Big Ten Freshman of the Year and looking like he would be a star by the end of his Illini career. That Illinois team narrowly missed the 2010 NCAA Tournament. Too bad tourney expansion didn't exist back then. 

After enduring a sophomore slump, Richardson found his three-point shot during the 2011 NCAA Tournament against UNLV and Kansas. Richardson's junior season was marred by the Illini falling apart, badly missing the 2012 NCAA Tournament and leading to Weber's firing. As a senior, Richardson and Paul would lead Illinois back to the 2013 NCAA Tournament, where the Illini lost to Miami (FL) in the second round. The Illini would not return to the tournament again until 2021, though the team would have qualified for the cancelled 2020 NCAA Tournament. 

By the end of his career, Richardson never became a superstar, ultimately following Paul in the pecking order. Still, D.J. was a player who always played hard on both ends and persevered through a lot of ups and downs. Richardson truly cared about being a Fighting Illini and represented the University with great effort, class and heart. 

I'll never forget Weber's tearful press conference after getting fired, with Richardson embracing the crying coach with a hug. Richardson was just a great kid, a wonderful representative of the Illini. 

While Richardson didn't become the star I expected, he had a very solid career as a starter from Day One on campus. He was a team player, through thick and thin, and for that, he holds a special place within my Illini fandom. 

Included below are highlights from each of Richardson's four seasons at Illinois, scoring: 

• a season-high 20 points as a freshman at Penn State. 
• a season-high 17 points as a sophomore at Iowa. 
• 19 points as a junior during a big home victory against Gonzaga. 
• a career-high 30 points as a senior at Nebraska. 

Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here are numbers 30-26. 

• #30 Morez Johnson Jr. 
• #29 Marcus Arnold. 
• #28 Matthew Mayer. 
• #27 Kevin Turner. 
• #26 Mike Davis. 
  

Admittedly, I lost interest in Illinois basketball for a period during the last few seasons of the Jon Groce era and the beginning of the Brad Underwood era. In fact, I missed much of the 2019-20 season, which made the cancellation of that season's NCAA Tournament so disappointing to me as I couldn't wait to see the Illini back in March Madness.

Of course, the 2020-21 Illinois Fighting Illini are the team that got me back into Illinois hoops, with one game signaling to me that the Illini were back. 

On March 2, 2021, red-hot Illinois was ranked #2 in the country as it traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan to face the #4 Michigan Wolverines. What ensued was a 23-point drubbing of the Wolverines, as Trent Frazier went off for 22 points with the Illini missing Ayo Dosunmu due to injury. From that game on, Frazier became an all-time favorite Illini as he hit three after three in the second half from the top of the key. 

Consider me late to the party as many fans had already favored Frazier, a player who signed with Groce and stuck around through some tough times to get Illinois back to respectability. 

Of course, there have been many key players who helped Illinois basketball get back to relevancy. Cihcago's very own Dosunmu chose Illinois when he didn't have to. Kofi Cockburn was a big addition to the program as well. A glue guy like Damonte Williams cannot be forgotten. Role players like Andres Feliz and Jacob Grandison were also important in the rebirth, as were freshmen Andre Curbelo and Adam Miller. The list goes on and on. 

To me, Frazier is the symbol of the Illini resurgence. Whether playing off guard or point guard, Frazier never worried about his stats. He was a guy who did whatever it took to win, especially on the defensive end. During his final season in Champaign, Frazier steadied an Illini team that was missing a sophomore Curbelo for a large point of the season, going back to point guard while forming a southpaw backcourt with Alfonso Plummer that I absolutely loved. 

In every sense of the word, Frazier was a gamer, a player who left it all on the court and gave Illinois five incredible seasons, finishing as the #5 all-time leading scorer in program history and #1 in games started and minutes played. 

Very few Illinois players had a heart as big as Trent's, and for that reason, he is a beloved Illini not only to me but many fans. 

Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here are numbers 30-27. 

• #30 Morez Johnson Jr. 
• #29 Marcus Arnold. 
• #28 Matthew Mayer. 
  
• #27 Kevin Turner. 
  

A few weeks had passed since the start of the school year when I decided to give my cousin Jimmy a phone call during September of 2007. 

By this time I had graduated from Illinois three years ago, and my cousin was just starting as a freshman on the campus. 

As I got a hold of Jim, I asked him how things were going so far. He told me that he had just gone to the introductory meeting for the Orange Krush, how the basketball team was there. 

"Hey Chris," Jim said. "There was a freshman named Mike Davis there. He is pretty tall but skinny." 

"Who?" I said. I had never heard of Davis, whom I believe was an unranked high school recruit that Bruce Weber added late during the recruiting period. 

Of course, Davis was a part of a freshman class that included guard Demetri McCamey, center Mike Tisdale, forward Bill Cole, and preferred walk-on Jeffrey Jordan, son of Michael Jordan. Of course, Eric Gordon of Indianapolis was supposed to be in that freshman class, but he spurned the Illini for Indiana after verbally committing to Bruce Weber years in advance. Illini even tried to add a player named Quinton Watkins, who was committed to USC, but he did not get into the school for academic reasons. 

Ultimately, the 2007-08 Illinois freshman class was a group that had some good and bad moments during their four years, missing the tournament twice, never advancing out of the second round, and signaling a downturn in Illini recruiting under Weber. 

Still, this group played hard, with Davis becoming my favorite of the group. Hardly playing as a skinny freshman, Davis was a starter by his sophomore year, possessing a beautiful one-handed, push floater and effective half hook game.

With sophomores Davis, McCamey and Tisdale and seniors Chester Frazier and Trent Meachman, the 2008-09 Illini team would be a pleasant surprise, playing with great chemistry and earning a #5 seed in the tournament. Despite Davis opening up the first-round game against Western Kentucky with a nice turnaround, the Illini would trail all night and lose to the Colonels. 

After nearly missing the 2010 NCAA Tournament, this senior group had great potential entering the 2010-11 campaign, with returning sophomores D.J. Richardson, Brandon Paul and Tyler Griffey, and heralded freshmen Jereme Richmond, Meyers Leonard and Crandall Head. 

This talented team would underachieve big time, though a bulked-up Davis would have a nice season, including a great performance against North Carolina at home during the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. 

Entering the tournament as a #9 seed, Illinois would crush a #8 seeded UNLV team coached by former Illini Head Man Lon Kruger. Weber and the Illini would then face #1 seed Kansas, coached by another former Illini Head Coach, Bill Self. Illinois would hang with the Jayhawks but ultimately lose, with the sight of Davis leaving the court for the final time a memory I will never forget. 

As Davis was subbed out with the game over, the senior forward from Virginia began sobbing uncontrollably. During what was a frustrating lone season with the mercurial Richmond, Davis showed he was someone who truly cared and was saddened to no longer be an Illini. 

In that moment Davis forever won me over, proving to be a player who matured physically and mentally during his four years in Champaign, leaving a better player and person. 

Below are full games of Davis at his best, including when he scored a career-high 28 points against Clemson as a sophomore and went to work against North Carolina as a senior, as well as his final two games with the Illini during the 2011 NCAA Tournament. 

Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here are numbers 30-28. 

• #30 Morez Johnson Jr. 
• #29 Marcus Arnold. 
• #28 Matthew Mayer. 
  

I'd be remiss doing this list without mentioning a player from the 1997-98 Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team that won a share of the regular season Big Ten title with Michigan State and earned a #5 seed during the 1998 NCAA Tournament. 

With a starting lineup of five seniors, Lon Kruger's second Illinois team was the definition of the sum being greater than its parts: 

• Undersized point guard Matt Heldman was a fearless ballplayer with a memorable release, almost corkscrewing into his three-point shot. 
• Shooting guard Kevin Turner was a streaky scorer out of Simeon High School, capable of getting hot quickly. 
• Small forward Jerry Hester was the beginning of the Illinois pipeline out of Peoria, an absolute man on the court, a versatile rock for the Illini. 
• Power forward Brian Johnson was a rugged, heady walk-on who eventually earned a scholarship and paved the way for his brother Lucas to come to Illinois. 
  
• Center Jerry Gee was an efficient lefty scorer who went by Jarrod his senior season. 

Also on this team were freshman Sergio McClain and sophomore Victor Chukwudebe. 

While I loved every one of the Illini's starters on this team, Turner was my absolute favorite because of his nasty crossover dribble that would leave defenders frozen and free him up for a smooth-looking jumper. While this Illinois team was incredibly balanced, it was most fun when Turner got on a heater, in my opinion. 

Of course, I will never forget Turner and the Illini drubbing Michigan State at home and Indiana on the road that season, with the victory in Bloomington famous for Bobby Knight saying after the game that he "...hopes to get buried upside down so all of his critics can kiss his ass." I remember listening to that game and Knight's rant on the radio, enthralled while writing a paper for my high school biology class as Knight was ejected by referee Ted Valentine. Fun times! 

Of course, I also remember Turner having a tough shooting performance during his final game against Maryland, a second-round loss during the 1998 NCAA Tournament. How I badly wanted Illinois to win that game, to advance to the Sweet Sixteen and play defending national champion Arizona. 

Still Turner and the rest of the 1997-98 Illinois team laid the foundation for the Illini's amazing run from 2000-2006. Honestly, I should be including the starting lineup as a group for my 27th favorite player, but Turner will get the nod as the captain of this most memorable team that really got me into Illini basketball. 

Let's continue with my countdown of my 30 favorite Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players of my fandom, spanning from the 1996-97 season until present day. Here were numbers 30 and 29:

• #30 Morez Johnson Jr. 
• #29 Marcus Arnold. 

Another long school year was coming to an end as I entered Memorial Day Weekend back in may of 2022. It was a Friday night, and I had passed out after another exhausting week of school, a drained teacher ready for the upcoming summer break. 

As I came to from my slumber, I checked my phone to be pleasantly surprised by some great news. Baylor's Matthew Mayer had announced earlier that night he was transferring to Illinois. I couldn't believe it. Mayer, whom I absolutely loved at Baylor, had chosen the Illini instead of North Carolina. 

I ended up finding an interview on YouTube of Mayer describing his decision to choose Illinois, I believe, with a local reporter in Waco, Texas. Mayer basically said that he chose Illinois because he thought the Illini could shock teams the coming season. He even mentioned the addition of a freshman named Skyy Clark as a reason why he chose Illinois. 

With Mayer now in the fold, Illinois was suddenly looking like a potential dark horse heading into the 2022-23 season. The Illini had already added Texas Tech transfer Terrence Shannon Jr. via the transfer portal. The Illini were bringing in four freshman, Clark, Jayden Epps, Ty Rodgers and Sincere Harris, as well as returning players Coleman Hawkins, Luke Goode and R.J. Melendez. Illinois also had mid-season Baylor transfer Dain Dainja entering the fold.

On paper, the Illini looked dangerous.

Could this be Brad Underwood's first Illinois team to get out of the opening weekend? 

No player excited me more than Mayer, who had been an awesome sixth/seventh-man with the Baylor team that won the national championship during the 2021 NCAA Tournament. I absolutely loved that Baylor team with Jared Butler, Davion Mitchell, MaCio Teague, Mark Vital, Flo Thamba, Adam Flagler, Mayer and others. In many ways that Bears team reminded me of the 2004-05 Illini, specifically in terms of both outfits' perimeter attacks, with Baylor boasting Mitchell, Butler and Teague and Illinois dominating with Dee Brown, Deron Williams and Luther Head. 

An absolute wildcard of a player, Mayer was someone without a conscious, a guy who could get hot in stretches and go off from three when hot. With his mullet and goatee, Mayer was a bit of a wild man, in a good way, someone who figured to be a fan favorite in the Orange and Blue, though he would trim his hair a bit in the day and age of NIL. 

Of course, the 2022-23 season with Mayer was an up-and-down campaign of drama and unfulfilled potential. According to rumor, Mayer and Clark did not mesh, with the freshman transferring after 17 games with Illinois. Mayer also called out Head Coach Brad Underwood for being too rough on the team in practice and had a famous episode drinking too many Monster Energy Drinks, leading to what he called caffeine poisoning. By the end of the season, a first-round loss to #8 seed Arkansas, the #9 seed Illini seemed ready to turn the page on this season.

I'll never forget a moment during the first half of that tourney game, when Mayer lost his shoe, and Illinois played 4-on-5 defensively for the ensuing possession only to get the ball back with Mayer still putting his shoe on. I wondered, "Why isn't anyone calling a timeout?" It was clear Head Coach Brad Underwood was done with this team and this season, learning a valuable lesson about the importance of chemistry. 

While the 2022-23 team did not meet expectations, it was sure an interesting ride. While Mayer is viewed unfavorably by some Illinois fans and unfairly seen as the culprit of that team's issues, he did have more positive moments on the court than people realize. For whatever reason, the 22-23 team just did not click, though Mayer was better than people remember, averaging 12.5 points for the season, second only to Shannon's 17.2 points per game. 

The Matthew Mayer experience was certainly a roller coaster, though there were more ups than Illini fans realize during what was an exhausting and frustrating season. Some of my personal favorite moments of Mayer included him: 

• Going off against #2 Texas at Madison Square Garden, hitting 8-of-10 field goals and 5-or-5 from three, for 21 points. 
• Getting on a heater during a Friday night home victory against Michigan State, finishing with 19 points and 6 blocks. 
• Notching a career-high 26 points during a huge road win at Wisconsin. 
• Leading the Illini with 24 points and 7 rebounds during a double overtime victory against Michigan. 

While Mayer may not have been for everyone, I immensely enjoyed his streaky game, independent spirit and scoring outbursts. When on, Mayer was a very fun player to watch; when off, not as much. Still, I enjoyed seeing Mayer play one season for the Illini. 

As disappointing as that season was, it sure was interesting and memorable, not always for the best reasons, with Mayer a major reason why. 

The pleasant postseason story of the Illini Timberwolves has come to an end with the San Antonio Spurs crushing Minnesota 139-109 tonight and winning the Western Conference second-round series in six games. 

Behind Stephon Castle's 32 points, two-seed San Antonio advances to play one-seed Oklahoma City in the Western Conference Finals, which begin Monday night at 7:30 p.m. Central Time. Anthony Edwards led Minnesota with 24 points in defeat. 

Ultimately, San Antonio was too complete of an opponent for a Minnesota team that dealt with serious injuries throughout the postseason.

Entering Game Six, former Illini Terrence Shannon Jr. was listed as questionable with a head contusion. Shannon did play Friday night, scoring 21 points in 22 minutes off the bench after scoring just 15 points in his last three games. 

As for another former Illini, Ayo Dosunmu, he started and finished with 10 points and 9 assists during 23 minutes. 
An unrestricted free agent this summer, Dosunmu should have plenty of suitors, especially after stepping up to score 43 points in a Game Four victory against the Denver Nuggets during the first-round. 

As for Shannon, who did not even play during the first three games of the Nuggets' series, it shall be interesting to see if he will have a bigger role with the Timberwolves in the future. For some reason, Minnesota Head Coach Chris Finch seemed reluctant to play Shannon until he absolutely had to due to injuries to Donte DiVicenzo, Edwards and even Dosunmu. Shannon has two years left on his four-year rookie contract and is a favorite of Minnesota Co-Chairman and controlling owner Alex Rodriguez, the former MLB superstar with the Seattle Mariners, Texas Rangers and New York Yankees. 

As it is the NBA, Minnesota could move on from Finch, a good coach who seems to have gotten the most out of a talented Timberwolves' team that has lost in the Western Conference Finals and second round twice during the past three playoffs. 

According to Jon Rothstein of CBS, a return date between Illinois and Texas Tech is set for next season. 

The Illini will be traveling to Texas Tech on Tuesday, November 10th of this year to play the Red Raiders at United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas. 

Last season Illinois defeated Texas Tech 81-77 on November 11, 2025 in Champaign, with Andrej Stojakovic and Kylan Boswell leading the Fighting Illini with 23 and 22 points, respectively. 

Of note, Texas Tech has added former Ilini Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn through the transfer portal this offseason. 

In addition to the Red Raiders, Illinois will be playing Duke on November 17th at Cameron Indoor Stadium and UCONN on December 4th at United Center as part of its nonconference schedule for the 2026-27 season. 

In other news, Head Coach Brad Underwood had his current six-year contracted amended, with an option to extend through 2036 based upon the team's performance during the next four seasons. Currently 62 years old, Underwood would be 69 at the conclusion of the 2032 season and 73 at the end of the 2036 season. 

It's safe to say that it would be shocking if Underwood does not retire as Head Coach of the Fighting Illini. 

Add Duke with UCONN to next season's nonconference slate for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team. 

Yesterday the Illini men's basketball program announced that it will be playing a home-and-home series with the Duke Blue Devils during the next two seasons. 

Illinois will travel to Durham to play Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 17th of this year. 

In return Duke will travel to Champaign to play the Illini at State Farm Center on December 4, 2027. 

Of course, Illinois last played Duke at Madison Square Garden on February 22, 2025, with the Illini getting embarrassed 110-67. 

Here's hoping Illinois can avoid that fate and continue to have similar success at Cameron Indoor Stadium as experienced by the 1995-96 and 2020-21 teams. 

Yesterday the Illinois men's basketball programs announced which Big Ten Conference opponents it will be playing at home and on the road during the 2026-27 season. 

Illinois will have home games against: 

• Iowa. 
  
• Michigan State. 
  
• Nebraska. 
  
• Ohio State. 
  
• Penn State. 
• UCLA. 
  
• Southern California. 
  

Illinois will have road games against: 

• Indiana. 
  
• Maryland. 
• Michigan.
  
• Minnesota. 
• Oregon. 
  
• Rutgers.
• Washington. 
  

The Illini will play the following teams twice, once at home and  once on the road: 

• Northwestern. 
  
• Purdue. 
• Wisconsin. 

Dates and times are to be determined. 

With Victor Wembanyama returning to the starting lineup after avoiding suspension for his Game Four elbow on Naz Reid, the San Antonio Spurs annihilated the Minnesota Timberwolves 126-97 on Tuesday night to take a 3-2 lead in the second round series of the 2026 NBA Playoffs. 

Trailing by 18 points at one point in the game, Minnesota actually rallied to tie the score at 61 on an Ayo Dosunmu layup midway through the third quarter. However, in the blink of an eye, San Antonio was up 20 points. 

The Spurs were led by Wembanyama's 27 points, 15 rebounds, 5 assists and 3 blocks while getting a nice contribution off the bench from Keldon Johnson, who chipped in 21 points. 

Not one Minnesota player had a positive rating in the +/- differential. While a -20 during 33 minutes of game time, former Illini Dosunmu started again at point guard, scoring 16 points on 7-for-14 from the field, grabbing 9 rebounds, dishing out 5 assists, notching three steals, and blocking two shots. 

His Minnesota teammate and fellow Illini alum Terrence Shannon Jr. had a rough game in 18 minutes on the floor, scoring just 2 points, all from the free throw line, while going 0-for-5 from the field, with four of his misses from the three-point line. Shannon had 4 rebounds while finishing a -5 for the night. 

Minnesota got 20 points from Anthony Edwards along with 17 points from both Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle. 

The Wolves will try to save their season Friday night, with Game 6 back in Minnesota tipping off at 8:30 p.m. Central Time.