CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Assistant Coach Tim Anderson has taken a personal leave, stepping away from the Illini program indefinitely.

“It has been a dream come true to work at the University of Illinois and represent the Fighting Illini,” Anderson said. “I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished together over these last three years. I thank Coach Underwood for the opportunity to coach here, and I especially want to give credit to all our players for their effort, trust, and sacrifice in producing a championship culture. Following a great deal of reflection this offseason, I’ve decided to take some time away from coaching in order to focus on myself and my family. I want to thank everyone who is reaching out for their support, and hope all will respect the personal nature of this decision.”

Illinois compiled a 72-32 record during Anderson’s tenure, winning the Big Ten regular season championship in 2022, the conference tournament title in 2024, and making three straight trips to the NCAA Tournament, highlighted by an Elite Eight appearance last season.

“Coach Anderson has impacted our program in countless ways, both on and off the court,” Head Coach Brad Underwood said. “Whether recruiting, building and maintaining relationships, or player development, TA has been a key part of the success we’ve experienced. We appreciate his commitment and many contributions to Illinois Basketball.”

Filling Anderson’s position in a temporary role, Underwood has elevated Kwa Jones to assistant coach. Jones returned to the Illini staff in July 2023 as director of recruiting and scouting. He began his coaching career at Illinois as a graduate manager before serving one year as video coaching associate with the Sacramento Kings followed by two years as director of operations at Stephen F. Austin.

A look across the conference here:

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Following a 4-1 start with two ranked wins, the Illinois football team enters its first off week of the season ranked #24 in the AP Top 25 and #25 in the Coaches Poll. The Illini are ranked in the AP poll for the third straight week.

Illinois (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) ranks 17th in the nation in scoring defense (14.2) through five games. The defense has forced 10 turnovers, the eighth-most in the nation, and features the 23rd-ranked passing efficiency defense (110.7). Xavier Scott leads the team with three interceptions, tied for third in the nation, and Gabe Jacas has 3.0 sacks to help Illinois rank 20th in the nation in sacks (13.0).

Offensively, QB Luke Altmyer has been one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, ranking 15th nationally in completion percentage (70%) and 17th in passing touchdowns with a Big Ten-best 11 touchdown throws. Altmyer has found WR Pat Bryant on six touchdown passes, ranking Bryant third in the nation in receiving TDs.

Illinois sits at 4-1 with two AP Top 25 wins for the first time since 1991.

The #24 Fighting Illini return to Memorial Stadium for back-to-back weeks against Purdue on Oct. 12 and #10 Michigan on Oct. 19 for the Memorial Stadium Rededication Game. Kickoff times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date.

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No interest in spending too much time discussing the Illinois game. Illinois played fine and other than the bizarre throw on the last offensive play of the first half (you run there and kick a FG to keep PSU from getting the ball back with time to move it, instead we ran a weird low percentage play and got penalized twice before missing a FG). Of course Franklin bailed BB out with his own bizarre 4th down decision when he can go up two scores late in the 3rd quarter and instead gives the ball back to IL still up 14-7.

Bottom line, PSU was better on the OL and DL, and we probably won't see a better unit this season on either side of the trenches. Their excellent running covered up Illinois' great pass defense a bit, PSU threw for only about 6 YPA on the game, despite having a solid QB who mostly had time on his dropbacks. In the key moments, Altmyer learned how hard it is to throw from his back. Franklin killed them on the slant until they schemed to take it away, but we didn't have time to get it downfield. Beat Purdue in two weeks, and it sets up the biggest home game in a long long time.

Oh yeah, Aaron Henry schemed another good game. Kotelnicki's team won the game, but that battle was at worst a draw (and a DC is at a disadvantage in football these days).

Moving on, Michigan is just not that good. Definite break against MN, sucks to you Fleck. Averaging under 60 yards passing with their current QB, and Moore seems completely out of his depth. What I saw in the last 5-6 minutes of that game (the early snaps, unnecessary throw when you should be running clock, and dude in motion on what was a victory formation type play was just bizarre). Purdue is putrid, that's just a must win, and I hope our coaches are as hungry as you'd expect after last season.

Wisconsin being up 21-10 at half and then getting roasted was awesome. There's good and bad things to say about the USC coaching staff, but Riley goes to halftime most weeks and comes to the realization that throwing it downfield is good. He might want to consider it more in the first half. Go Badgers next week, take even more confidence from Purdue.

Remember when Bama played 6-3 and 9-6 games against top SEC opponents? Now it's 41-34 and it's hardly surprising. The spread changed everything, glad Illinois got the memo in like Week 7 or so of 2023. Sticking with the SEC, Texas is not going to win the title IMHO.

Kansas is a perfect example of how close losses can quickly derail a 12 game season. They may have one of those seasons we've seen too much of ... 7-8 win talent wins 4-5 games (with a coordinator appearing to be the goat). CMU looks to be an alright MAC team, probably better than suspected when rolling into Champaign.

Coach Prime showing how well you can coach when you have two Top 5 picks in the draft. Will he stick around to show us what he can do without them?

No. 19 Illinois @ No. 9 Penn State. Kickoff at 6:30 pm CT on NBC.

Some things to watch:

- Luke Almyer will face the strongest pass rush that he's seen this season. He'll need to make good decisions under pressure, which hasn't always been a strong point for him. 3rd and long is not a good situation for Illinois tonight. Penn State is good at safety and CB AJ Harris is a future pro, but I think you can pick on CB Cam Miller on the boundary side. That's a good matchup for Pat Bryant and Zakhari Franklin.

- Two things worry me about the Penn State offense: Big plays by Nicholas Singleton in the run game, and the short passing game - especially on third down. TE Tyler Warren is a stud. Penn State will move the chains. The Illini defense could get frustrated and worn down. They will probably need a couple of takeaways. Illinois needs a big game from it's in-the-box defenders like Matthew Bailey, Dylan Rosiek, and Xavier Scott.

- RZ touchdowns could decide the game. If either team settles for field goals, Illinois has a big advantage in the kicking game, but I don't think you can outscore this Penn State team 3 points at a time.

- Illinois won't wear down the Penn State defensive front the way they did Nebraska. The Nittany Lions have athletes up front and depth. If the run game stalls early, will Illinois and OC Barry Lunney stick with it, or air it out? Will one of the four Illinois running backs have a breakout game?

- We will find out if the Penn State offense really is the juggernaut that they've shown early, or if the production is more of a product of their schedule. Drew Allar is probably overhyped. He's really accurate with a clean pocket, but sporadic when you get pressure on him. Gabe Jacas, Seth Coleman, and Dennis Briggs Jr. have been playing well and getting pressure.

Virginia Tech is a 17.5 underdog against Miami in Miami - and they are winning late in the 3rd quarter

I’m just saying

Forgot to link this on the board yesterday. Preview and pick

In years past, I would have welcomed bad weather for a game against PSU, but not this year. We're more of a finesse offense this year and need to throw the ball to our outside guys to be successful. Up to this game, I haven't seen an ability to consistently get yards on inside runs. I watched some of the BGSU game last night and PSU's DE's look very fast, but light. I wonder if we could run at them?

I'm not a fan of read option running plays if the QB isn't a threat to run the ball regularly. I started noticing it last year, but teams are really blitzing the nickel or corner a lot this year and they're running down our RB before they get through the LOS. It almost always comes from the backside when it's a running play so I assume it's a formation and/or audible tendency they're keying on. Can any of you smart Xs and Os guys shed any light on this observation?

Marshall @ Ohio State (-39.5)

Charlotte @ Indiana (-27.5)

Villanova @ Maryland (-17.5)

Kent State @ Penn State (-48.5)

Rutgers @ Virginia Tech (-3.5)

USC (-4) @ Michigan

UCLA @ LSU (-21.5)

Northwestern @ Washington (-11.5)

Iowa (-2.5) @ Minnesota

Michigan State @ Boston College (-5.5)

Purdue @ Oregon State (-3.5)

Look for Galloway to visit soon.

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Not sure why this statement was made (I know the full context makes it much less provocative, but it's being clipped like this.)

I haven't gone to many Illinois football road games but I did go to a "White Out" game in 2008 when we played at Penn State. I will never forget that game as it was the single most raucous crowd I have ever experienced in my life. Not only is it incredibly loud, the whole stadium shakes and some of their cheers are like an earthquake. I'm not sure how in the world I got a ticket to the game and I was sitting in the microscopic Illinois section but it took most of the first half for my heartrate to settle down just as a fan. The all-white is an incredibly striking visual too.

I don't know if it really matters to give fans "bulletin board material" but we are about to experience one of the most intense away game crowds that any of these players will ever witness.

Maybe Bielema is purposely poking the bear (lion, whatever) since he has a strong record of winning at Penn State, but I'm very curious to see how this plays out.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini women's basketball fifth-year senior Makira Cook has been named to the 2024-25 Preseason All-Big Ten Team by conference head coaches. The league office announced the 10-player preseason all-conference teams on Thursday.

The 2024 WBIT Most Outstanding Player, Cook led the Fighting Illini to the program's first-ever postseason championship as Illinois won the inaugural WBIT. The Cincinnati native amassed 105 points throughout the postseason run, marking a new program record for points scored in a single tournament.

Throughout the 2023-24 campaign, Cook averaged 16.4 points, 4.4 assists, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.0 steal per game. She shot 40% from the field, 35.4% from 3-point range, and 85.4% from the free-throw line while recording her second straight 500-point season at Illinois. Cook delivered 27 games with double-digit points and nine 20-point outings last season.

During the 2023-24 postseason, Cook scored her 1,000th point as an Illini and surpassed 1,600 points across her career. She has started every game she has played in since arriving at Illinois as a junior.

Cook was a 2023-24 Second Team All-Big Ten selection by both the coaches and media while also earning Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten accolades. She was named to the Preseason All-Big Ten coaches and media teams ahead of the 2023-24 campaign as well.


2024-25 Coaches Big Ten Preseason Rankings
1. USC
2. UCLA
3. Ohio State
4. Maryland
5. Indiana

2024-25 Coaches Preseason All-Big Ten Team*
Makira Cook, 5th-Yr., G, Illinois
Hannah Stuelke, Jr., F, Iowa
Lucy Olsen, Gr., G, Iowa
Shyanne Sellers, Sr., G, Maryland
Alexis Markowski, Sr., C/F, Nebraska
Cotie McMahon, Jr., F, Ohio State
LAUREN BETTS, Jr., C, UCLA
Kiki Rice, Jr., G, UCLA
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC
Kiki Iriafen, Gr., F, USC
Serah Williams, Jr., F, Wisconsin

*Additional player due to tie in voting

2024-25 Coaches Preseason Player of the Year
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC

2024-25 Media Big Ten Preseason Rankings
1. USC
2. UCLA
3. Ohio State
4. Maryland
5. Indiana

2024-25 Media Preseason All-Big Ten Team
Hannah Stuelke, Jr., F, Iowa
Lucy Olsen, Gr., G, Iowa
Shyanne Sellers, Sr., G, Maryland
Alexis Markowski, Sr., C/F, Nebraska
Cotie McMahon, Jr., F, Ohio State
Lauren Betts, Jr., C, UCLA
Kiki Rice, Jr., G, UCLA
JUJU WATKINS, SO., G, USC
Kiki Iriafen, Gr., F, USC
Serah Williams, Jr., F, Wisconsin

2024-25 Media Preseason Player of the Year
JuJu Watkins, So., USC

Here’s where things stand. Illinois is currently #40. Probably a little underrated due to starting position (which hasn’t fully shaken out), but I don’t think that’s a crazy place to have us based on expected quality.

Categories of Remaining Opponents

Large Underdog - at #10 PSU and at #7 Oregon. Illinois is lucky to get its two best remaining opponents on the road. Even better that at Oregon is the week after the Michigan game (a classic letdown spot, laying an egg here won’t hurt us much). I see PSU as the much more winnable game, Illinois is hot and PSU has been weird in big games under Franklin. The spread being like 17-18 points is absurd, and I’m usually a “go the other way” when a pick seems too obvious like IL getting that many this weekend.

Matchup Games - #17 Michigan in Champaign and at #45 Rutgers. If you applied the home field bonus to expected margin, Illinois is a slight underdog in both games. I’m not that high on either opponent but by November who knows what both IL and RU will actually be. I think Michigan is on its way to 8-4 btw, let’s be one of the 4 Ls they take.

Favored but Competitive - Home to #58 MN and #67 MSU. Fleck is a lot of things I don’t like, but his teams don’t seem to quit. However this MN team is not very good. Illinois is likely to be favored by a bit (would be around 6 based on Sagarin), and let’s hope we can ride Bret’s rich history against MN to a win. Weirdly, MSU might end up being the second easiest game left. Here’s why. Look at their next 5 games and find me a win. A close loss to a middling ACC team (BC) this weekend was very bad for them because they have the toughest B1G schedule of anyone in the league. By mid-November MSU may well be a no excuses contest.

Should Win - #91 Purdue and #84 Northwestern. Until Bret beats Walters, PU makes me nervous. I’d be less nervous if they didn’t have Mockobee. He’s legit. The rest of Purdue - especially the D - is not legitimate. And they have limited depth and two hard hitting opponents the next two weeks (Nebby and Wisconsin), so I hope they are a demoralized 1-4 soon. NGL, NW at Wrigley looks like the easiest game left. NW has some really good athletes on the edge of their offense but they are atrocious at QB, OL and not good on D. Slow field on a brisk November day will be a game about will, NW not looking like a team with much on the line then and easily could be 3-8 or maybe at best 4-7. Hopefully it’s our 9th or 10th win then lol.

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer was named to the Davey O'Brien Award's Great 8 for his performance leading Illinois past #22 Nebraska. Altmyer was also added to the official Davey O'Brien Award Watch List for the season.

The National QB of the Week will be announced by the Dave O'Brien Award on Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT.

Altmyer led then-#24 Illinois to a 31-24 (OT) win at #22 Nebraska by throwing for four touchdowns on 21-of-27 passing and amassing 236 total yards of offense. Altmyer tied the game with a touchdown pass to 335-pound offensive lineman Brandon Henderson on a fourth-down play in the fourth quarter, then threw the game-winner to Pat Bryant in overtime.

Altmyer is the first Illinois quarterback to throw for four touchdowns on the road against a top-25 team since 1999 (Kurt Kittner at Michigan). The only quarterback in the nation to throw 10+ touchdowns and zero interceptions this season, Altmyer has guided Illinois to two ranked wins and the program's second 4-0 start since 1951.

Illinois is up to #19 in the AP Top 25. The Fighting Illini travel to #9 Penn State on Saturday for a 6:30 p.m. CT matchup on NBC.

Davey O'Brien Great 8: Week 4
Luke Altmyer, Illinois
Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
Bryson Daily, Army
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss
Blake Horvath, Navy
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
John Mateer, Washington State
Cam Ward, Miami