Tag: illinois basketball

Alabama Basketball finalizing deal to play Illinois in Birmingham during 2024-2025 season

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball team will play the Illinois Fighting Illini in Birmingham during the 2024-2025 season.

The Alabama Crimson Tide men’s basketball program has scheduled a series against the Illinois Fighting Illini. In December of 2024, the Fighting Illini will make the trip from Champagne to Birmingham, Alabama to take on the Crimson Tide. In 2025, Alabama will travel north to Chicago to return the back end of the series.

Both Alabama and Illinois reached the NCAA Tournament this past season. The Fighting Illini fell in the Elite Eight against UConn. The Crimson Tide suffered a season-ending loss against UConn in the Final Four.

It will be interesting to see which program is able to come away with a victory in the Magic City.

Roll Tide Wire will continue to follow the latest regarding the Alabama men’s basketball program.

UGA basketball’s RJ Melendez transfers to SEC school

UGA basketball loses its fourth-leading scorer, RJ Melendez, to another SEC team

Georgia basketball forward RJ Melendez has transferred to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Head coach Mike White and Georgia have lost a significant amount of talent to the transfer portal this offseason. However, Georgia has a strong incoming recruiting class and could have a more talented roster for the 2024-2025 college basketball season.

Melendez spent the first two seasons of his college basketball career at Illinois. The former elite recruit played in 36 games for Georgia last season. During the 2023-2024 season, Melendez averaged 9.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for Georgia.

Georgia basketball is scheduled to face Mississippi State next season. Georgia will miss Melendez, who was a big part of Georgia’s run in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

Melendez announced his commitment to Mississippi State via social media.

Last season, Mississippi State made the NCAA Tournament as a No. 8 seed. The Bulldogs lost to Michigan State in March Madness and are trying to retool their roster.

Former Illinois forward sticking around Big Ten for final season

Former Illinois forward sticking around Big Ten for final season

Former Illinois forward Luke Goode announced Friday that he is transferring to Indiana, remaining in the Big Ten for his final season of eligibility. Goode entered the portal on Monday, quickly finding a new home in Bloomington.

The 6-foot-7, 210-pound athlete is from Fort Wayne, Indiana, and he’ll live out a chance to play for his favorite childhood team. Wisconsin was reportedly interested in acquiring Goode from the portal, but once again came up empty.

Goode was a four-star athlete coming out of high school, joining Brad Underwood’s squad in 2021. He spent four seasons with Illinois, most recently averaging 5.7 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting 39% from deep in 2023-2024.

The Badgers haven’t added a player from the portal after losing eight players as transfers following the 2023-2024 campaign.

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UGA basketball’s RJ Melendez entering the transfer portal

Georgia basketball guard/forward RJ Melendez is returning to the transfer portal after spending one season at UGA

The Georgia Bulldogs are expected to lose one of their top contributors from the 2023-2024 basketball season in RJ Melendez. Melendez, who spend one season at Georgia, transferred to Georgia from Illinois. Now, he is returning to the NCAA transfer portal.

Melendez averaged 20.6 minutes, 9.6 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in his lone season at Georgia. Melendez helped Georgia go 20-17 and advance to the National Invitational Tournament (NIT) finals. The Bulldogs struggled in SEC play, but finished the year on a strong note. Melendez joins several other Bulldogs in the transfer portal.

Melendez is a former four-star recruit in the class of 2021. Melendez played high school basketball for Central Pointe Christian in Kissimmee, Florida. Melendez was the No. 94 recruit and No. 18 shooting forward. The 6-foot-7, 205-pound shooting forward was born in Arecibo, Puerto Rico.

Melendez played in 54 games and started 19 total games for Illinois across the two seasons to start his college basketball career. He will have one year of eligibility remaining.

Former Wisconsin basketball star receives crystal ball to transfer to Big Ten rival

What would your reaction be to AJ Storr committing to Illinois?

Former Wisconsin Badgers star guard A.J. Storr received a 247Sports crystal ball prediction to choose Illinois.

Storr entered the transfer portal after Wisconsin’s season-ending NCAA Tournament loss to James Madison. He also entered the NBA draft while maintaining his eligibility, though a return to college seems the more likely conclusion.

Related: Tracking Wisconsin basketball’s reported transfer portal visits and targets

Storr averaged 28.8 minutes, 16.8 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.9 assists and 0.6 steals in his one year with the Badgers. He was the engine of Wisconsin’s offense for much of the season, especially the team’s run to the final of the Big Ten Tournament.

A possible transfer to Illinois would mean three colleges in as many seasons for Storr. It would also mean seven schools in seven years dating to high school.

Illinois needs help on the wing entering 2024-25: Terrence Shannon Jr. is out of eligibility. Storr’s fit makes sense: He originally committed to the Illini out of high school before flipping to St John’s.

Wisconsin, meanwhile, is looking to find Storr’s replacement in the transfer portal. The Badgers are in pursuit of several of the portal’s top forwards as both Storr and Tyler Wahl’s production needs to be replaced.

For more on Wisconsin’s roster and transfer portal activity, check out Badgers Wire’s ongoing 2024 transfer portal tracker.

Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion. Follow Ben Kenney on X.

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Big Ten Notebook: Illinois falls to UConn

Another Big Ten team is down with UConn beating Illinois.

On Saturday, March Madness came to an end for the Illinois Fighting Illini. The Big Ten champs took on No.1 UConn and struggled offensively in a 77-52 loss. While they kept things close in the first half, UConn dominated in the final 20 minutes.

The Huskies pulled away in the second half thanks to a 30-0 run. As UConn punched its ticket to the Elite Eight, it recorded a March Madness record tenth straight double-digit victory.

Thank you 🧡💙#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/KXv1mlz6Xr

— Illinois Men’s Basketball (@IlliniMBB) March 31, 2024

While the Elite Eight did not go as planned for Illinois, there were a few bright spots. That includes Marcus Domask, who scored a team-high 17 points while adding three rebounds to his resume. The Waupun, Wisconsin native, was the only Fighting Illini who scored more than 10 points.

In this matchup, UConn was able to take advantage of their opportunities close to the basket. They outscored Illinois in the paint 52-20. The Huskies also prevented Illinois from having a lead the entire game an never took the pressure off.

Following their latest win, UConn is only a win away from a chance to defend their title. Their next opponent will be No.4 Alabama, who beat Clemson on Saturday night.

 

UConn absolutely wrecked Illinois with a dominant 30-0 run in the Elite Eight

BREAKING: UConn is good at basketball.

The UConn men’s basketball team found itself on the ropes against Illinois on Saturday late in the first half, tied at 23 with less than two minutes to go to the break of this 2024 Elite Eight battle.

However, you can’t keep a good Husky down. After a slow start, UConn rattled off a staggering 30-0 run to counter the Illinois push, grabbing a whopping 53-23 lead about seven minutes into the second half.

It’s the longest scoring run for the program since 1990 and a great reminder of why nobody (and we mean nobody) wants to play the reigning men’s NCAA tournament champions in March Madness.

The team is a buzzsaw that can explode at will, and it’s easy to see why they’ve got a great chance to repeat as champions.

College basketball fans were in awe of UConn’s dominant run, as outscoring an opponent 30-0 for a stretch of basketball is pretty darn impressive.

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How to buy UConn vs Illinois 2024 NCAA Men’s Elite Eight tickets

Want to watch No. 1 UConn vs. No. 3 Illinois in person? Elite 8 tickets for the East Regional in Boston still remain for as little as $207.

The second Elite Eight matchup of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament is set.

After an evening full of upsets, the East Regional Final boasts the only chalk remaining on its half of the bracket.

No. 1 UConn will take on No. 3 Illinois on Saturday, March 30, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

SHOP: UConn vs. Illinois Elite Eight tickets

UConn pulled away from San Diego State in the first half and never looked back, eventually defeating the Aztecs 82-52.

Illinois led Iowa State for almost the entire game, and held off a late Cyclones comeback, advancing by a score of 72-69.

The Huskies have looked dominant during their NCAA Tournament run, but they have not played an offense nearly as talented as the Illini.

Elite Eight tickets for the Boston Regional remain, and at the time of publication were available for as little as $207.

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How to buy UConn vs Illinois 2024 NCAA Men’s Elite Eight tickets

Want to watch No. 1 UConn vs. No. 3 Illinois in person? Elite 8 tickets for the East Regional in Boston still remain for as little as $207.

The second Elite Eight matchup of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament is set.

After an evening full of upsets, the East Regional Final boasts the only chalk remaining on its half of the bracket.

No. 1 UConn will take on No. 3 Illinois on Saturday, March 30, with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

SHOP: UConn vs. Illinois Elite Eight tickets

UConn pulled away from San Diego State in the first half and never looked back, eventually defeating the Aztecs 82-52.

Illinois led Iowa State for almost the entire game, and held off a late Cyclones comeback, advancing by a score of 72-69.

The Huskies have looked dominant during their NCAA Tournament run, but they have not played an offense nearly as talented as the Illini.

Elite Eight tickets for the Boston Regional remain, and at the time of publication were available for as little as $207.

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How to buy Sweet 16 and Elite 8 tickets in Boston for 2024 NCAA Tournament East Regional

Want to watch March Madness and the Sweet 16/Elite 8 live in Boston this weekend? Tickets are still available for as little as $223.

Only 16 teams remain in the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament, and four of them will be playing in Boston, Massachusetts this weekend.

This year, March Madness returns to Boston as the TD Garden is set to host a weekend of Sweet 16 and Elite matchups that will eventually send one team onto Phoenix and the Final Four.

SHOP: Boston Regional Sweet 16 tickets

Tickets to Boston’s Sweet 16 action give access to both games and as of publication are still available for as little as $223.

No. 1 UConn kicks off East Regional on Thursday when they take on No. 5 San Diego State at 7:39 p.m. EDT.

That game will be immediately followed by No. 2 Iowa State vs. No. 3 Illinois.

SHOP: UConn vs. San Diego St and Iowa St vs. Illinois tickets

If you want to catch all the action, weekend passes are still available for as little as $403.

The weekend passes include access to both of Thursday’s Sweet 16 games and Saturday’s Elite Eight showdown between the winners of Thursday night’s games.

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