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SB Nation: The Champaign Room

I began covering the Illinois basketball beat in the summer of 2025. I was able to get my feet wet in the first couple of months, which helped me prepare for the first real test of my sports reporting journey: driving up to attend Big Ten Media Days in Rosemont to speak to Head Coach Brad Underwood and veteran players Kylan Boswell and Ben Humrichous for my first media availability. Since then, I've participated in countless media availabilities and postgame pressers with an increased sense of curiosity, covered many marquee matchups at State Farm Center and have been lucky enough to cover games at the United Center, Mackey Arena and Lucas Oil Stadium. Additionally, I'm happy to announce that I will also be covering the Illinois football beat for the 2026-27 season. 

Check out some of my articles, tweets and vertical videos below!

The Champaign Room •

Offensive stagnancy in Indy puts Illinois’ season to rest

INDIANAPOLIS – Before Saturday night’s matchup, UConn had won 12 of its last 13 Final Four games.

For Illinois, a program that had only won just one Final Four game ever, the task was simple: keep Tarris Reed Jr. away from the glass and make life difficult for him in the paint.

“Most of the times when we played like this and were winning the rebound battle we were winning the games,” said freshman forward David Mirkovic.
The Champaign Room •

How Brad Underwood’s winning culture formula has led to a Final Four run

INDIANAPOLIS – The Illini have finally reached a high that fans have been starving for since 2005.

Under the bright lights at Lucas Oil Stadium, Illinois prepares for the moment that the entire season has led up to: the Final Four.

“There’s a reason that we got here, and you don’t wanna get here and just fall short,” said veteran guard Kylan Boswell. “Having that in the back of our head, being a motivating factor I think is the biggest thing.”
The Champaign Room •

Illinois’ second-half shift overwhelms No. 9 Iowa to advance to Final Four

HOUSTON — Forget the narratives, forget the drought. Brad Underwood’s Fighting Illini just kicked the door down and cemented their names in Orange and Blue history.

“It’s not just me,” said Illinois head coach Brad Underwood. “It’s so many people that’ve helped along the way.”

On a historic Saturday afternoon at the Toyota Center, No. 3 seed Illinois stared down a familiar foe and a 21-year drought, physically dismantling No. 9 seed Iowa 71-59 to punch its ticket to the Final Four for the first time since 2005. Underwood’s squad proved they didn’t need a hot hand to make history, they just needed to be the toughest team in the building.
The Champaign Room •

No. 10 Illinois fall to No. 3 Michigan behind sold out crowd

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Despite a sold out State Farm Center crowd and a sense of hunger to take home a victory, No. 10 Illinois couldn’t hold off the most athletic team in the nation, falling 84-70 to No. 3 Michigan.

The Illini faithful did their best to spoil Morez Johnson Jr.’s return to Champaign and delay the Wolverines’ Big Ten regular season title celebration, but Michigan’s defensive intensity and physicality in the paint left Illinois hopeless. Friday night marked the first time in 20 years that two top-10 team...
The Champaign Room •

No. 8 Illinois loses to Wisconsin in overtime after late collapse

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Missing two of its stars in the frontcourt, Illinois needed everyone on the court to do what they do well — with just a little bit more effort.The Illini came up just short, dropping a 92-90 overtime loss to the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center on Tuesday to conclude an exhausting stretch of five games in 13 days. After leading for 24 minutes, the Illini let their guard down at the worst possible time. Illinois missed seven late free throws and turned the ball over eight...
The Champaign Room •

Illinois torches Northwestern, extends win streak to 12

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Coming off consecutive top-5 road wins for the first time in program history after taking down No. 4 Purdue and No. 5 Nebraska, Illinois reminded its fans of the depth it has to offer with five Illini in double figures, taking down Northwestern 84-44 Wednesday night at State Farm Center. With the win, the Illini extend their winning streak to 12 and pick up a third consecutive victory over the Wildcats.In a game that saw the Illini hit 11 first-half triples with a different guy seemingly knockin...
The Champaign Room •

How Tyler Underwood helped build Illinois’ historically efficient offense

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The Illini are riding the longest winning streak since head coach Brad Underwood was appointed in 2017, and are searching for their 10th straight win Thursday night at State Farm Center against Washington. But how did they get here?“I value how hard he works on the professional side,” Brad Underwood said. “I have tremendous respect for how he’s grown and how hard he works at it.”After finishing the last two seasons with a top-15 ranked offense, Illinois now owns the No. 1 adjus...
The Champaign Room •

Wagler’s legendary performance lifts Illinois to win over No. 4 Purdue

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - In Illinois’ second game without its engine, Kylan Boswell, Wagler decided it was the perfect time to step up and show what he can do in a brim-packed Mackey Arena with a historical 46-point performance in a nail-biting 88-82 victory at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette to hand the No. 4 Boilermakers their second straight loss. It marked Illinois’ first win at Mackey Arena since 2020 and ninth straight win this season, the longest win streak in the Underwood era.“He takes the emotion out of it. Wit...
The Champaign Room •

Stojakovic’s all-around performance instills hope in Illini fans following Boswell’s injury

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – With Illinois’ senior leader out of the lineup for the first time in his collegiate career, the Illini needed everybody to step up and help fill the void. After veteran guard Kylan Boswell fractured his hand in practice on Monday, head coach Brad Underwood had less than two days to figure out how the Illini could make up for the absence of the engine of their squad. It’s now easy to say Stojakovic was probably one of Underwood’s main focal points, knowing what he’s capable of.“I...
The Champaign Room •

Size mismatch and Big Z lead Illinois to hard-fought win over Minnesota

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Carrying a six-game win streak and all the momentum in the world, head coach Brad Underwood and the Illini prevailed in their first game at State Farm Center in 11 days to make it seven straight victories for this squad and nine wins in a row against the Gophers.After big man Zvonimir Ivisic took advantage of Minnesota’s height in the first half, Illinois were able to pull away from the Gophers in the second, leading them to a 77-67 victory in Champaign that saw seven lead chan...
The Champaign Room •

Illinois’ path to the next level is simple: Win the possession battle

They need to be violent where it counts. And that’s the stuff that doesn’t always make the highlight reel, but will exhaust teams and help win you games: offensive rebounds, tipped balls, second efforts, blocks that turn into downhill transitions. Illinois put on a masterclass in possession control against Missouri in St. Louis, turning a rivalry game with tons of hype into a cakewalk by the end of the first half. They won the second-chance point battle 29-5, finished +19 on the glass and rejecte...
The Champaign Room •

‘We needed practice’: How Illinois bullied Mizzou in historic beating

During their nine-day practice week, Illinois stressed what Underwood calls their “daily vitamins,” consisting of defensive communication, attention to the small details and relentless work on the glass, especially the offensive side. The Illini took advantage of the first extended week of practice they had before the win at Tennessee, and this time they showcased the immediate results at an even higher level. Illinois showed out in St. Louis with a 91-48 victory, holding Missouri to under 50 po...
The Champaign Room •

Stojaković leads Illinois to statement win over No. 11 Texas Tech

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois narrowly passed its first major test of the season Tuesday night, outlasting No. 11 Texas Tech in a back-and-forth 81-77 battle at State Farm Center that marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs. Tuesday night’s matchup at State Farm Center in Champaign marked the Illini’s first true test of the 2025-26 season, coming off two comfortable wins versus Jackson State and Florida Gulf Coast. Illinois leaned on sophomore guard Andrej Stojaković and veteran guard...