Florida RB high on the Illini - Illinois [$$] (Rivals)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAF

Illinois Football Roundtable: Is Aaron Bailey the Future After Nathan Scheelhaase?

Source: Writing Illini by Ricky Widmer

The staff of Writing Illini gives their opinions about whether or not freshman Aaron Bailey is the future at the quarterback position after Nathan Scheelhaase is gone. Bailey was recruited this past season from Bolingbrook High School in Bolingbrook, Illinois.

Nov 10, 2012; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase (2) before the game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky: Aaron Bailey has the talent and potential to be the future starter for the Fighting Illini after Nathan Scheelhaase is gone.

2013 NBA Draft Combine: How Did Brandon Paul Fare at the NBA Combine?

Source: Writing Illini by Ricky Widmer

Former Illinois Fighting Illini guard Brandon Paul participated in the NBA Combine at Attack Athletics in Chicago, Illinois this week.

NOVEMBER 09, 2012; Champaign, IL, USA: Illinois Fighting Illini guard Brandon Paul (3) moves the ball up the court during a game against the Colgate Raiders at Assembly Hall. Mandatory Credit: Ben Woloszyn-USA TODAY Sports

Brandon Paul. 33.5″ standing vert. 39.5″ max vert.#NBACombine

— Chad Ford (@chadfordinsider)

Baseball. Illini Clinch Big Ten Tournament Berth, Top Gophers, 4-3

Source: Illinois Official Site

Despite a two-hour rain delay at Siebert Field, Illinois clinched a spot in next week's Big Ten Tournament with a 4-3 victory over Minnesota. Highlights |

Illinois Baseball: Illini Use Early Offense to Beat Minnesota, 4-3

Source: Writing Illini by Ricky Widmer

The Illinois Fighting Illini were able to beat the Minnesota Golden Gophers, 4-3, in game two of their three game series on Friday.

After a second inning where both teams would score a run, the Illini took an early advantage in the third. They added two runs; one on a Thomas Lindauer RBI double and another on a throwing error by Minnesota on the next play.

June 5, 2011; Fullerton, CA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini infielder Brandon Hohl (3) is congratulated after scoring a run during the eighth inning against the Cal State Fullerton Titans in the Fullerton regional of the 2011 NCAA baseball

Illinois Football Roundtable: How Important is It for the Fighting Illini to be Successful in 2013?

Source: Writing Illini by Ricky Widmer

The staff of Writing Illini gives their opinions about how important is is for the Illinois Fighting Illini to be successful this upcoming football season. They are coming off of a 2-10 season under Tim Beckman’s first as Illini head coach.

Nov 24, 2011; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats cornerback C.J. Bryant (13) causes a fumble by Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Justin Green (26) on a kickoff during the first half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky: It is SUPER important that the Fighting Illini are successful in 2013. Last season couldn’t have

M. Golf. Illini in Second After 36 Holes at NCAA Regional

Source: Illinois Official Site

Illinois sits in second place, one shot behind Arkansas, and three Illini are among the top nine individually after Friday's second round of the NCAA Fayetteville Regional.

Illinois Basketball Recruiting: VJ King Receives Offer From Fighting Illini

Source: Writing Illini by Ricky Widmer

Illinois head coach John Groce is already looking to the future when it comes to recruiting and he is going to his old “home” state of Ohio for talent. On Thursday, coach Groce extended out an offer to 2016 power forward VJ King.

Illinois became the fourth Big Ten team to offer at the 2016 Ohio native.

Jan 27, 2013; Champaign, IL, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach John Groce reacts during the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Assembly Hall. Michigan defeated Illinois 74-60. Mandatory Credit: Bradley Leeb-USA TODAY Sports

King has received offers from the Charlotte 49ers, Illinois Fighting

RecruitingNation links: Big Ten edition

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

BuckeyeNation Brad Bournival writes : The Buckeyes’ top targets along the offensive line have changed a bit. Recruiting maibag : Bournival looks at possible next commits to OSU and which prospects who already committed to the Buckeyes could climb the ESPN rankings. NittanyNation Josh Moyer writes : J.J. Cosentino is pleased with the recent offer from nearby Penn State, but the Nittany Lions are just a safety valve next to FSU, where the Pittburgh Central Catholic QB already has committed.

Big Ten Friday mailblog

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Wishing you a great weekend. Follow us on Twitter. Josh A. from D.C. writes: First of all, I recognize that "parity-based" scheduling wasn't set to begin until 2016 -- along with the introduction of the 9 game B1G slate ... My question is, why? What were the primary obstacles to matching up OSU/UM/PSU with UW/UNL and Iowa in 2014 and 2015? Adam Rittenberg: Josh, I hear you on this and wish there were a few more appealing crossovers. One issue in 2014/15 is that teams play only two crossover games, not three.

Most indispensable players: Nebraska

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Now that spring practice is over, we're examining the most indispensable players on each Big Ten team for the 2013 season. By indispensable, we don't necessarily mean best. We mean the players who would be hardest to replace between now and the start of the season if they got hurt or suspended or shot out of a cannon. That could be because of their value to the team, or because of a lack of depth at their position. We'll pick two players from each team, usually offense and defense, but not always.

Illini Football: Wes Lunt update

Source: Illinois Loyalty

Confused about Wes Lunt's future? Here's some helpful insight from a source close to the situation: It's still very early in the process. Why? Oklahoma State Head Coach Mike Gundy has only granted Lunt's release to Illinois, which Wes...

Michigan tops latest recruiting rankings

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

It's still early, but the tide could be turning a little for Big Ten recruiting. The league undoubtedly has moved down a few pegs on the recruiting ladder in recent years, a drop that can be tied to poor on-field performance, a lack of national titles or plain ol' geography. But the outlook for the 2014 recruiting class looks good for the league, at least on May 17. Michigan tops RecruitingNation's latest class rankings, rising two spots to No. 1 after securing a commitment from ESPN 150 defensive end Lawrence Marshall last weekend.

Big Ten lunchtime links

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Tan, rested and ready after a week in Aruba. Well, maybe not tan. Michigan athletic director Dave Brandon says the 2014 home game against Penn State could be a night game. Brandon says student no-shows at the Big House are "unacceptable." Mark Hollis talks about keeping the Michigan State-Notre Dame game alive. Mark Dantonio says the Spartans "re-assessed" recruit turned rapper Jay Harris. Sixteen significant changes made by Bill O'Brien at Penn State.

Illini Football: Aaron Bailey will arrive soon

Source: Illinois Loyalty

"My knee's good now," Bailey said. "I'm able to squat, run and push off of it. We just kept praying and trusting in God. I kept doing rehab and working it out. I haven't looked back." Bailey has spent...

Seven from B1G on Lott Trophy watch list

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Is it really already time for preseason watch lists? I guess football must be getting near. The Lott IMPACT Trophy has released its 2013 watch list, and it includes seven Big Ten players on the initial group of 42 nominees. The award goes to the defensive player who makes the biggest impact for his team on and off the field. The Big Ten players on the list are: Chris Borland, LB, Wisconsin Max Bullough, LB, Michigan State Ibraheim Campbell, DB, Northwestern James Morris, LB, Iowa Damien Proby, LB, Northwestern Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State Borland and Bullough also made the 2012 watch list.

Basketball Stuff

Source: A Lion Eye by Robert

Took me a bit to get around to this, what with all the football schedule announcements and the decision by the Big Ten to feed the nobodies to the somebodies. Hey, that reminds me…

Basketball Schedule

So we don’t know the dates, but we know our Big Ten opponents for next year. They announced our one-play opponents, so we now know the full conference schedule:

Michigan State
at Michigan State
Ohio State
at Ohio State
Indiana
at Indiana
Penn State
at Penn State
Iowa
at Iowa
Wisconsin
at Wisconsin
Nebraska
at Nebraska
Purdue
Michigan
at Northwestern
at Minnesota

When I look at a single-play schedule, I always

Illinois Football: How Important is It for the Fighting Illini to be Successful in 2013?

Source: Writing Illini by Ricky Widmer

The staff of Writing Illini gives their opinions about how important is is for the Illinois Fighting Illini to be successful this upcoming football season. They are coming off of a 2-10 season under Tim Beckman’s first as Illini head coach.

Nov 24, 2011; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats cornerback C.J. Bryant (13) causes a fumble by Illinois Fighting Illini defensive back Justin Green (26) on a kickoff during the first half at Ryan Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

Ricky: It is SUPER important that the Fighting Illini are successful in 2013. Last season couldn’t have

B1G ADs know committee has tough task

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

CHICAGO -- Two years ago, Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith chaired the NCAA men's basketball tournament selection committee and had to explain why UAB made it into the field and Alabama did not. Telling Alabama's basketball team it missed out on March Madness is a tough job. Telling Alabama's football team it missed out on the College Football Playoff is a much, much tougher job. "Whoever it is," Smith said, "get that flak jacket ready." It likely won't be Smith.

Illini Football: Wes Lunt visited Illinois

Source: Illinois Loyalty

Multiple sources: Wes Lunt visiting Illinois today. Also hear Illini are currently front runner in process, which is in early stages— Zach Kerker (@ZachKerker) May 16, 2013 Rochester Head Football coach Derek Leonard confirms Wes Lunt's visit to Illinois...

St. Louisan McLemore denies bribe allegations

Source: STLtoday.com

He’s expected to be picked early in the first round of the NBA draft.

Illinois Football: Big Ten Announces 2014 Football Schedule

Source: Writing Illini by Ricky Widmer

July 26, 2012; Chicago, IL, USA; A general view of the Big Ten conference tropy during the Big Ten media day at the McCormick Place Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Reid Compton-USA TODAY Sports

The 2014 Big Ten conference schedule was announced yesterday (click here for entire schedule). The 2014 season will be the first season of the newly expanded Big Ten which includes the Rutgers Scarlet Knights and the Maryland Terrapins. Here are some highlights for the Fighting Illini in

5 Things You Should Know About Illinois' Memorial Stadium

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

Buried in the walls and bricks of beautiful Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois lies nearly a century of stories, history and tradition.  Built in 1923, Memorial Stadium has seen not only 90 years of Fighting Illini football, but also has played host to the Chicago Bears, concerts and the Illinois high school football state championships since 1999.

Here are five things you may not know about historic Memorial Stadium. 

Begin Slideshow

Ranking the Top 5 Offensive Weapons for Illinois Football

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

The Illinois Fighting Illini look to put an abysmal 2012 season behind them, seeking to improve from their 2-10 record.  Unfortunately for the boys in orange, 2013 looks to be just as challenging.

Offense was a consistent problem for the Illini, who found themselves last in the Big Ten in passing and receiving yards.  Luckily, Illinois will have their most important weapons returning for 2013.  Here we rank their top five offensive weapons for 2013.

Former Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit will take over for the Illini as offensive coordinator.  Cubit, like Illinois head

McLemore denies bribe allegations

Source: STLtoday.com

He’s expected to be picked early in the first round of the NBA draft.

Baseball. Justin Parr Named Semifinalist for Dick Howser Trophy

Source: Illinois Official Site

Senior Justin Parr was named a semifinalist for the 2013 Dick Howser Trophy, presented by Easton Foundations, announced the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Thursday. NCBWA Release |

5 Things You Should Know About Illinois' Memorial Stadium

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

Buried in the walls and bricks of beautiful Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois lies nearly a century of stories, history and tradition.  Built in 1923, Memorial Stadium has seen not only 90 years of Fighting Illini football, but also has played host to the Chicago Bears, concerts and the Illinois high school football state championships since 1999.

Here are five things you may not know about historic Memorial Stadium. 

Begin Slideshow

W. Cross Country; Track & Field. Illini Boast 18 Qualifiers for NCAA West Prelims

Source: Illinois Official Site

The Illinois women's track and field team boasts 18 qualifiers in 13 events to the NCAA West Preliminary Round of Championship at the University of Texas in Austin from May 23-25.

Baseball. Duchene Ties School Record in 6-2 Win over Minnesota

Source: Illinois Official Site

Freshman Kevin Duchene allowed two earned runs over six innings and improved to 8-1, as the Illini won their fourth straight with a 6-2 victory over Minnesota. Highlights | Box Score | Hartleb Interview |

W. Cross Country; Track & Field. Illini Boast 17 Qualifiers for NCAA West Prelims

Source: Illinois Official Site

The Illinois women's track and field team boasts 17 qualifiers in 13 events to the NCAA West Preliminary Round of Championship at the University of Texas in Austin from May 23-25.

Illini Football: Wes Lunt visited Illinois today

Source: Illinois Loyalty

Multiple sources: Wes Lunt visiting Illinois today. Also hear Illini are currently front runner in process, which is in early stages— Zach Kerker (@ZachKerker) May 16, 2013 Rochester Head Football coach Derek Leonard confirms Wes Lunt's visit to Illinois...

M. Cross Country; Track & Field. 19 Illini Qualify for NCAA West Prelims

Source: Illinois Official Site

The Illinois men's track and field team boasts 19 qualifiers in 14 events, to the NCAA West Preliminary Round of Championship at the University of Texas in Austin from May 23-25.

M. Golf. Danielson, Illini Lead After Regional Opening Round

Source: Illinois Official Site

Illinois freshman Charlie Danielson fired a seven-under-par 65 to grab the lead and Illinois has a three-shot lead as a team at the NCAA Fayetteville Regional after 18 holes. Results |

Most indispensable players: Iowa

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Now that spring practice is over, we're examining the most indispensable players on each Big Ten team for the 2013 season. By indispensable, we don't necessarily mean best. We mean the players who would be hardest to replace between now and the start of the season if they got hurt or suspended or shot out of a cannon. That could be because of their value to the team or because of a lack of depth at their position. We'll pick two players from each team, usually offense and defense but not always.

Illini Football: Wes Lunt

Source: Illinois Loyalty

Multiple sources: Wes Lunt visiting Illinois today. Also hear Illini are currently front runner in process, which is in early stages— Zach Kerker (@ZachKerker) May 16, 2013...

How the B1G 2014 schedule came together

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

The Big Ten released its 2014 league schedule earlier Thursday, completing what its architect Mark Rudner called a "long, arduous process" of crafting a slate with two new teams, two new divisions and a second open week. ESPN.com caught up with Rudner, the Big Ten's senior associate commissioner for television administration, to discuss how the 2014 schedule came together. It's important to note the Big Ten compiled the 2014 slate based upon principles green-lighted by its athletic directors.

Video: Indiana Hoosiers AD Fred Glass

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Indiana athletic director Fred Glass talks about being in the Big Ten's new East division, football scheduling and the program's progress under coach Kevin Wilson.

Big Ten Announces 2014 Conference Schedule - Nebraska (Rivals)

Source: Yahoo! NCAAF

The Big Ten released the 2014 football conference schedule today. See how the 2014 season shapes up for the Huskers here.

Ranking the Top 5 Offensive Weapons for Illinois Football

Source: Bleacher Report NCAAF

The Illinois Fighting Illini look to put an abysmal 2012 season behind them, seeking to improve from their 2-10 record.  Unfortunately for the boys in orange, 2013 looks to be just as challenging.

Offense was a consistent problem for the Illini, who found themselves last in the Big Ten in passing and receiving yards.  Luckily, Illinois will have their most important weapons returning for 2013.  Here we rank their top five offensive weapons for 2013.

Former Western Michigan head coach Bill Cubit will take over for the Illini as offensive coordinator.  Cubit, like Illinois head

Lambs For Slaughter

Source: A Lion Eye by Robert

As you know, I’m constantly, unwaveringly searching the horizon for ways to improve the football program the University of Illinois.  If I see a recruit I love (Nick Allegretti), I push all in.  If I see a schedule that might help us, I beg for it.  The biggest thing this program needs is wins, so I’m in constant search for ways to get there.

As such, I was quite excited to hear of this “parity based scheduling” that Jim Delany has been talking about. Specifically the part where he said “you’re going to see a lot of competition between teams at the top of either division”. Why does that make me excited? Because we’re in no way one of the top teams.  In fact, right now, we’re probably 14th out of 14.  Which

Video: Northwestern AD Jim Phillips

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Northwestern athletic director Jim Phillips talks about future games at Wrigley Field, the progress on the team's lakefront practice facility and more at the Big Ten spring meetings.

W. Basketball. Illini Visit Georgia Tech for Big Ten/ACC Challenge

Source: Illinois Official Site

The Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conferences announced the matchups for the seventh-annual Big Ten/ACC Women's Basketball Challenge Thursday and Illinois will travel to Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Dec. 4.

RecruitingNation links: Big Ten edition

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

BuckeyeNation Austin Ward writes : DT Michael Bennett looked fully recovered in the spring from nagging injuries that hampered him in 2012, raising expectations for the defensive line. Brad Bournival writes : 2014 DT prospect Dylan Thompson is 6-foot-5, 274 pounds with the attitude to match his size. Bournival writes : Here are the top five uncommitted DT targets who have OSU offers. NittanyNation Josh Moyer writes : 2014 DB prospect Dravon Henry, an Aliquippa, Pa.

Illini Football: 2014 Illini football schedule released

Source: Illinois Loyalty

2014 schedule highlights- * Ohio State & Penn State are Illinois' opponents from the East Division. Boom. * November home games vs Iowa & Penn State. Nice. * Late bye weeks (Weeks 8 & 11). Cool....

Big Ten releases 2014 football schedule

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

The Big Ten has released its conference schedule for the 2014 season, when new members Maryland and Rutgers join the league and play in the East and West divisions begins. The league hopes to release the 2015 schedule, which will flip the game sites of the 2014 slate, by June 1. There are still some dates of games to be worked out for 2015, as the Big Ten is working out several previously scheduled nonconference contests. Remember, the Big Ten will play an eight-game league schedule in 2014 and 2015 before going to nine games in 2016.

Football. Big Ten Announces 2014 Conference Football Schedule

Source: Illinois Official Site

The Big Ten has announced the conference schedule for the 2014 football season. Illinois will host Purdue, Minnesota, Ohio State and Iowa and travel to Nebraska, Wisconsin, Penn State and Northwestern. Illini Football Schedules | Buy Tickets |

Big Ten lunch links

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Some spring meetings leftovers and much more ... The Big Ten is expanding its bowl options for 2014 and beyond. The new lineup will combat "bowl fatigue," Kyle Meinke writes. There's a lot to like about what the Big Ten is doing. Some good takes on the Penn State/medical care issue from Neil Rudel, David Jones, Bob Flounders and Donnie Collins. The former Penn State walk-on mentioned in the SI story defends trainer Tim Bream. Hear from Penn State's latest recruit.

Podcast: Hoke discusses ND comments

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Michigan coach Brady Hoke joked that he nearly didn't call ESPN's "Mike & Mike in the Morning" on Thursday. The reason: he "didn't want to chicken out." Hoke went on to discuss his comment Monday that Notre Dame was "chickening out" of its annual series against Michigan after the 2014 season. He told hosts Mike Greenberg and Mike Golic that he perhaps could have used a different word, but he remains disappointed not to see the two historical powers meet every year.

B1G football seeks hoops' coach stability

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

CHICAGO -- The Big Ten reported another record revenue total for the past fiscal year, and although its members on average sponsor many more sports than their counterparts in the SEC, athletic directors say their football programs have the financial resources to compete at the highest level. "We all make the investments necessary in football," Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith said at the spring meetings. Smith cited the higher salaries Big Ten programs like Ohio State and Michigan are now paying top assistant coaches, a push that accelerated at Ohio State when head coach Urban Meyer arrived.

Video: Minnesota AD Norwood Teague

Source: Big Ten Football Blog

Minnesota athletic director Norwood Teague talks about the Big Ten's future bowl lineup, Minnesota's football program, and coach Jerry Kill at the Big Ten spring meetings.