Wisch: Who Are The Illini? We're About To Find Out
Over the next three weeks, Illinois faces five opponents with a combined record of 78-15. Four of them are currently ranked among the Top 15 teams in the country.
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Over the next three weeks, Illinois faces five opponents with a combined record of 78-15. Four of them are currently ranked among the Top 15 teams in the country.
For Cubs fans, it's time to convene. But for the Cubs? Well, apparently, it's time to count beans.
From the get-go, the names fit like a small-sized helmet on an XL-sized head. Awkwardly. And now, it's time for the Big Ten to send "Legends" and "Leaders" on their way. Mercifully.
The Fighting Illini are an imperfect basketball team.
But then there's the University of Illinois, the sadsack program of the prairie whose last three head football coaches can now be found at Florida International University (Ron Turner), the University of Buffalo (Lou Tepper) and, well, the coaching unemployment line (Ron Zook).
Is Nick Saban worth a look?
Keep your wits about yourself, Illini Nation.
This week, Ditka's comments about Smith's firing got me curious about how "Da Coach" fared against winning teams during his coaching career with the Bears. Additionally, I wondered how the coaches in between Ditka and Lovie – Dave Wannstedt and Dick Jauron – held against top competition during their time in Chicago.
Kirk Herbstreit might want to shoo them out of South Beach, but the Northern Illinois Huskies will nevertheless be playing in a BCS game tonight when they butt helmets with Florida State during the 2013 Orange Bowl.
There are more than 20,000 seats inside the United Center.
When it comes to college football, the state of Illinois has an attendance deficit.
asher and Dancer. Cookies and milk. Mistle and toe. The Bulls and the Knicks. Yes, some things just seem to go together on Christmas.
Come this evening in front of a rabid crowd in St. Louis, Illinois will defend its border against Missouri during the two schools' annual Braggin' Rights game.
Such is the Catch-22 of the situation that the Cubs have put themselves – and their overpaying, overly patient fans – in thanks to the path that Theo & Co. have embarked upon.
The future of Notre Dame's athletic programs – despite the football team's current success – has never been less stable, or clear.
With an 11-0 record and a Top 10 ranking, Illinois basketball appears to be back. But the Illinois basketball crowds? Well, they're not.
With no games scheduled until Monday, the Northwestern basketball team is taking a break this week. But here in the meantime, what I'm wondering is if the Northwestern basketball program will ever decide to break away from coach Bill Carmody.
Since the Bears traded for Cutler before the 2009 season, Lovie Smith's overall record is 34-27 for a winning percentage of .557, which is actually a drop off compared to his 45-35 record (.563) B.C. (Before Cutler).
Minnesota. The Chicago YMCA. Rose Polytechnic Institute. Minnesota again. The Evanston YMCA. Wisconsin. Millikin. Butler. DePaul. Wisconsin again. Houston. Arizona State. Furman. Louisville. North Carolina. … And Gonzaga?
How such numbers factor into the Bears' decision about whether to bring Smith back for 2013 isn't known, but what's clear is how Smith's career record looks under a magnifying glass. Not good.
Attendance certainly didn't improve markedly this past weekend. Rather, it sunk startlingly.
He's three inches shorter, five pounds lighter and unlikely to be named National Player of the Year (or go No. 2 in the NBA Draft), but that doesn't mean Brandon Paul can't still pull an Evan Turner this season.
When the Chicago Cubs, coming off their 104th year of championship futility topped by 101-loss cherry, probably inspire more hope and interest than your football program does, you know you have a problem.
Ex-Cub Ron Santo finally got into the Hall of Fame this past summer. Ex-Cub Greg Maddux will easily get into the Hall of Fame in the summer of 2014. And Ex-Cub Lee Smith will surely get into the Hall of Fame …
Last week, I canvassed a swath of Illini Nation via Twitter and Facebook, asking for suggestions about how the state's flagship school could better connect with fans – both existing and prospective ones – in the city.
A pedestrian was hit by a freight train on Thursday afternoon in west suburban Villa Park, leading to delays for Metra commuters on the Union Pacific-West line.
Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October, plans to attend President Trump's State of the Union address to Congress later this month, according to her attorney.
All inbound lanes of the Eisenhower Expressway are blocked at 25th Avenue by a crash and car fire after a police chase.
An Oswego, Illinois man has pleaded guilty to phishing hundreds of women's to get access to their Snapchats and steal, sell, trade and keep nude photos.
As Jesse Jackson Jr. campaigns for his old U.S. House seat at Chicago-area churches, banquet halls and on Black radio shows, he often takes a moment to address the obvious matter hanging over his political comeback.
Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October, plans to attend President Trump's State of the Union address to Congress later this month, according to her attorney.
As Jesse Jackson Jr. campaigns for his old U.S. House seat at Chicago-area churches, banquet halls and on Black radio shows, he often takes a moment to address the obvious matter hanging over his political comeback.
Illinois early voting for the 2026 primary begins for most counties in early February. Find out what your early voting dates are and where you can go cast a ballot below.
Chicago Ald. Daniel La Spata (1st) wants to hear from anyone who has strong feelings about food delivery robots.
Some polls opened up for early voting on Thursday, with less than six weeks to go until primary day in Illinois.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.
A Near West Side diner known for drawing in Blackhawks fans and players is up for sale.
January may be the coldest time of the year, but Chicago is already looking forward to summer farmers' markets.
A development proposal issued this month calls for the replacement of a building housing a Giordiano's pizzeria in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with a new mixed-use building with 28 residential units.
United Airlines flight attendants picketed outside Chicago's Willis Tower Thursday morning as they fought for a new contract.
WSCR-AM, 670 The Score, will begin a simulcast on 104.3 FM next month.
The members of Ratboys were teenagers when they met by chance, and now in their 30s, the Chicago band formed by two college friends almost two decades ago appears to be on the brink of something big.
Chuck Negron, a founding member of Three Dog Night whose lead vocals powered a string of hits for one of the top rock acts of the late 1960s and early '70s has died. He was 83.
Bad Bunny used his Grammy acceptance speech on Sunday to denounce U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and call for the end of the ongoing immigration crackdown.
The 2026 Grammy Awards recognized the best of the best in music from last year, with big wins for Kendrick Lamar and Bad Bunny. Here's the full list of winners and nominees.
Complete closure of the performing arts center in Washington, D.C., will start on July 4, Mr. Trump said. It's not yet clear how extensive the changes to the building might be.
Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has your 11 a.m. First Alert Weather forecast for Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026.
A 17-year-old boy was charged Thursday in a shooting that wounded seven teens in front of the Chicago Theatre downtown right after the city’s Christmas tree lighting ceremony in November.
Adopt August and Archer from Border Tails Rescue.
Drivers who receive traffic tickets in suburban Cook County could soon see their cases move faster.
Minute Maid is discontinuing its frozen juice concentrates
A 17-year-old boy is charged in a shooting that wounded seven teens downtown right after the city's Christmas tree lighting ceremony.
A pedestrian was hit by a freight train on Thursday afternoon in west suburban Villa Park, leading to delays for Metra commuters on the Union Pacific-West line.
Marimar Martinez, the Chicago woman shot five times by a Border Patrol agent in October, plans to attend President Trump's State of the Union address to Congress later this month, according to her attorney.
All inbound lanes of the Eisenhower Expressway are blocked at 25th Avenue by a crash and car fire after a police chase.
An Oswego, Illinois man has pleaded guilty to phishing hundreds of women's to get access to their Snapchats and steal, sell, trade and keep nude photos.
Cynthia Eason recounted the moment Chicago police officers raided her family's home in 2018.
Water bills could be going up in several Chicago suburbs and other parts of Illinois, as Illinois American Water seeks a rate increase to fund infrastructure improvements.
The case involves a Chicago grandmother, her daughter, and her four grandchildren, who all said that Chicago police officers pointed guns at them during the botched raid.
Former Mayor Rahm Emanuel no longer will have to testify about an alleged "code of silence" at the Chicago Police Department, after a federal judge reversed an earlier ruling that would have allowed him to take the stand in a lawsuit over a botched police raid.
John H. Stroger Jr. Hospital of Cook County, the busiest trauma center in Illinois, is sounding an alarm, as doctors brace for an influx of patients because of federal funding cuts under the Trump administration's "One Big Beautiful Bill Act."
The Bulls on Thursday sent Ayo Dosunmu and Julian Phillips to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Rob Dillingham, Leonard Miller and four second-round picks, as first reported by ESPN and The Athletic.
Six players made 3s for Illinois, which shot 17 of 38 from behind the arc and had just two turnovers.
Spencer Knight made 16 saves for the Blackhawks, who have dropped five of six.
The Chicago Bulls are trading Coby White to the Charlotte Hornets, reports said Wednesday.
Chicago cut Milwaukee's lead to 90-84 late in the third quarter, but couldn't get any closer.
Three people were in custody Thursday afternoon after a Chicago police officer fired at a suspect who ran from a stolen car that had hit a squad car, the CPD said.
Police in Kenosha, Wisconsin on Thursday were investigating a shooting that left one teen dead and another injured, while a third teen suffered a head injury.
Chicago police on Thursday were investigating two attempted burglaries involving ATMs in two city neighborhoods in the early-morning hours.
Investigators have no proof that the missing mother of "Today" show host Savannah Guthrie is still alive but are holding out hope she is "still out there," the sheriff said.
A 17-year-old boy was charged Thursday in a shooting that wounded seven teens in front of the Chicago Theatre downtown right after the city's Christmas tree lighting ceremony in November.
