Chambana Sun

Following a holiday break, the Illinois men's basketball team, ranked 24th nationally, is set to play against Chicago State on December 29 at the sold-out State Farm Center in Champaign. The game marks Illinois' final non-conference home contest for the year.

Head Coach Brad Underwood has guided the Illini to Top-25 rankings for six consecutive seasons. This season, they returned to the Associated Press poll three times and are currently ranked 24th. A victory against Chicago State will place Underwood in sole possession of fourth place on Illinois' all-time coaching wins list, breaking his tie with Doug Mills at 151 wins each.

Illinois point guard Kasparas Jakucionis has been impressive, scoring over 20 points in each of the last six games. His performance shattered the Illini freshman record for consecutive 20-point games. Tomislav Ivisic also made significant contributions with six double-doubles this season.

The team ranks second in the Big Ten and 14th in NCAA NET rankings as of December 26. In recent non-conference play, Illinois faced four SEC teams and secured victories over Missouri and Arkansas while losing to Tennessee and Alabama.

This season's roster features many new players following their Elite Eight appearance last year. Newcomers have accounted for a large portion of scoring, with freshmen contributing significantly.

Coach Underwood commented on Jakucionis' performance: "Jakucionis is averaging 21.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists while knocking down 20 three-pointers at a 49% clip."

Looking ahead, Illinois will face Duke at Madison Square Garden on February 22 after completing its non-league games.

Illinois continues to excel under Coach Underwood's leadership since he joined eight years ago with notable achievements including winning the Big Ten Tournament championship in 2024 as a #2 seed and securing regular-season championships previously.