The University of Illinois announced yesterday that it has hired Tim Beckman to take over as head coach of the U. of I. football team. more ›

Every year, there are guys who we all know are going to jump to the NBA after their freshman year at college. Many of these "one-and-done" players would've likely gone pro straight out of high school had the NBA instituted new draft eligibility rules a few years back. Rules that were enacted specifically to prevent kids from acting foolishly. For every Derrick Rose or Carmelo Anthony, there's a Korleone Young or Leon Smith. more ›

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Illinois mounted an incredible rally to overcome a 23-point deficit and knock off #19 Clemson by a 76-74 final in their leg of the Big Ten-ACC Challenge. The comeback was the largest in Illini history and saw four of five Illini starters score in double-figures, led by Mike Davis who had 22 and Brandon Paul who had 20. more ›

Last night, Penn St. and Virginia kicked off the 2009 Big Ten - ACC Challenge, with the Nittany Lions winning 69-66 and spotting the Big Ten a 1-0 lead heading into tonight's slate of five games. Five more will be played tomorrow night as well. Both our local teams head to the Carolinas for this year's action. Among tonight's match-ups is Northwestern vs. North Carolina St. in Raleigh, NC while the Fighting Illini face off against the Clemson Tigers in Clemson, SC tomorrow night. The marquee match-up this year has 9th ranked Michigan State playing at the Dean Dome against 11th ranked North Carolina in a rematch of last season's title game (a game UNC won). In each of the ten previous years, the ACC has won the overall Challenge although last year was close with the ACC winning 6-5. Is this the year the Big Ten finally overcomes the mighty ACC? more ›

Looks like Blago's at it again. State legislative leaders are meeting again tomorrow to continue working on transit/casino/construction/dick-wagging, with the plan to head back to Springfield next week for--all together now--a special session. Maybe they could have a Very Special Session in which we learn about molestation or suicide or teen pregnancy. Blagojevich met with three legislative bigwigs today, but Mike Madigan wasn't one of them. Schedulig conflicts, says Madigan's camp. Never RSVPed to... more ›

Chicagoist knew there'd be plenty of surprises during Sunday's college football Bowl Championship Series selections, given the losses by the two top-ranked team on Saturday and then general tumult among the top ranked teams all season long. Among the biggest surprises was the Rose Bowl's selection of the Fighting Illini to play against the USC Trojans on New Year's Day. The Illini did knock off Wisconsin when they were ranked fifth, and they handed Ohio... more ›

First person to name the song those lyrics in the headline came from gets a no-prize. Own some of Billy Corgan. Really. It's not a good idea to e-mail a Playboy playmate via Myspace, especially when said playmate is dating the Bears' Adam Archuleta, you're from Aurora, and type in bold threatening capital letters. Some Wisconsinites have a unique take on the designated driver. What did you do on your summer vacation? (via) Give... more ›

March Madness is nearly upon us, with the conference tournaments as a little appetizer before the Big Dance begins next week. The Big Ten Tournament opened play Thursday in Indianapolis, with the 6 lowest seeds facing off to see who would advance to the quarterfinals. 9th seed Northwestern is already headed home after losing the opening game to 8th seed Penn St. 60-42. The same Wildcats team that Chicagoist witnessed take Big Ten Champ Ohio... more ›

A sign that Thanksgiving is approaching and winter's not far behind, this week marks the opening of the college basketball season. We'll focus today on the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Their season kicks off in Champaign tomorrow night when they host South Dakota State. Tomorrow, we'll look at the other Division I schools in the area, including DePaul, Northwestern, UIC and Loyola. Last year's Illini team spent most of the season ranked #1 in... more ›

As Chicagoist covered last week, the NCAA has banned the use of 18 college nicknames and mascots because they are abusive and hostile towards Native Americans. Among those on the list was the University of Illinois' Fighting Illini nickname and Chief Illiniwek mascot. more ›

Last week, the NCAA instituted a new policy that would ban schools using "hostile and abusive racial/ethnic/national origin mascots, nicknames or imagery" during NCAA Championships and would prevent offending schools from hosting postseason events. While broad in policy, the NCAA has squarely aimed these new rules at the 18 schools with Native American nicknames -- including the University of Illinois Fighting Illini. Many have been outspoken in their opposition to the NCAA's decision, including Florida... more ›

The March towards the Arch returns to action today, including two games at the AllState Arena. In Chicago, there's really only one game -- Cinderella-story Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panthers vs. top-seed Illinois Fighting Illini. Who'd have thought when the Illini forsaw playing in the Chicago regional, that their opponent's campus would actually be half the distance to the arena? No matter... it'll still be a sea of orange in Rosemont. And that orange sea will be loudly... more ›

Having beaten #15 Wisconsin in Madison the other night--snapping their 38-game home winning streak--people are beginning to wonder whether the Fighting Illini can go undefeated this season. With a 20-0 record and ranked #1 in both major polls, are they really that good? By overcoming the Badgers and #24 Iowa in the past week, they've proven they can overcome tough competition and win even when they're not playing their best basketball. However, the Sun-Times warns... more ›

The Big Ten opened its conference schedule last night, and both Illinois teams won their league openers in commanding fashion. more ›

Following a season in which the Bears ranked last in the NFL in total yards and points, offensive coordinator Terry Shea was fired on Tuesday. Having previously served as quarterbacks coach within the high-powered Kansas City Chiefs offensive sytem, Bears fans cheered his hiring less than one year ago when new coach Lovie Smith named him the successor to John Shoop. But when the team goes 5-11 and ranks last offensively, somebody had to be... more ›