Inside Illini Basketball

Latest episodes

Showing 20 · updated from the feed

Episode 417: Retention just wasn't for the roster

Bringing back seven players and five key rotation pieces from a Final Four team? That was a big deal for Illinois this offseason. Equally as important, though, was Brad U

Sep 28
32 min

Episode 416: Thoughts on a five-star weekend

Illinois had a quartet of five-star recruits on campus this past weekend. That's what happens when you make the Final Four and now regularly boast one-and-done first-roun

Sep 21
33 min

Episode 415: Ten things our beat writer knows about Illinois

The start of the 2026-27 college basketball season is within sight. Practices will ramp up at the end of this month ahead of October exhibitions and early November opener

Sep 14
31 min

Episode 414: Busy weekend ahead

Past Illinois basketball stars and potential future stars will be on campus this weekend, with the Illini bringing back new Hall of Fame inductees Ayo Dosunmu and James A

Sep 7
25 min

Episode 414: Focus shifts to fall

Workouts are underway again at Ubben Basketball Complex with the majority of the team back from their summer vacations save for Tomislav Ivisic, who is stuck in Croatia.

Aug 31
34 min

Episode 413: Vibes remain high

Summer is officially over with classes resuming this week in Champaign. That means the college basketball season is right around the corner. Practices start in a month, t

Aug 24
33 min

Episode 412: Planning ahead

There's still a week left before the 2026-27 Illinois basketball team returns to campus, so the brief summer slowdown mostly continues. Except on the recruiting front, wi

Aug 17
27 min

Episode 411: Summer slow down

Summer workouts wrapped up last week for Illinois, with the players (and coaches) getting a short break before preparation resumes for the 2026-27 season. Fall work that

Aug 10
30 min

Episode 410: End of summer quiz

Illinois will close out its summer workouts this week. With the new school year is just around the corner we quizzed beat writer Scott Richey on all things Illinois baske

Aug 3
34 min

Episode 409: Ubben's a happy place

Brad Underwood has plenty going on to make him happy as summer nears its unofficial end. Stefan Vaaks is back and getting reacclimated with his teammates. Andrej Stojakov

Jul 27
32 min

Episode 408: A visit with Loren Tate

The dean of Big Ten sportswriters and a U.S. Basketball Writers Association Hall of Famer, News-Gazette columnist Loren Tate is as high on Brad Underwood's program as any

Jul 20
30 min

Episode 407: Summer hoops

Las Vegas has become the center of the basketball world. Particularly this past weekend with NBA Summer League ongoing and Nike taking its EBYL circuit to the desert. Bot

Jul 13
35 min

Episode 406: Vaaks a pealtpanek for Illinois

That's "slam dunk" in Estonian, and adding the Tabasalu native out of the transfer portal was exactly that for Illinois this offseason. Vaaks fits the mold Brad Underwood

Jul 6
33 min

Episode 405: Summer of opportunity

Workouts continue for Illinois, with the whole team save for Stefan Vaaks (back in Estonia for World Cup qualifiers) on campus and putting in the summer grind. David Mirk

Jun 29
34 min

Episode 404: Good vibes only

This is a big week for Illinois with Keaton Wagler (and maybe Kylan Boswell) in the 2026 NBA Draft and the second week of summer workouts underway at Ubben Basketball Com

Jun 22
34 min

Episode 403: Summer grind

Roster retention put Illinois in position to be considered one of the top teams in the country heading into the 2026-27 season. But there are still roles to fill in the r

Jun 15
35 min

Episode 402: Impressive, if not golden

Quentin Coleman was the most consistent player on the court for Team USA during its entire FIBA U18 AmeriCup run and the only American to make the All-Star Five. The one

Jun 8
35 min

Episode 401: Preseason hype ... in June

Illinois was a clear winner following the NBA draft early entrant withdrawal deadline. Andrej Stojakovic's return to Champaign for the 2026-27 season — full retention — r

Jun 1
34 min

Episode 400: Special guest Brad Underwood

Illinois coach Brad Underwood joins our Scott Richey for another milestone episode of Inside Illini Basketball and a wide-ranging conversation that hit on the Final Four

May 23
38 min

Episode 399: Everything's coming up Illinois

The NBA draft is less than two months away, with Keaton Wagler still projected as a high lottery pick. Brad Underwood is in line for a contract extension and raise (and s

May 18
32 min

Chart trend

Position in the Basketball chart (US), last 90 days.

#1#100#199JulAugSep

#113

all-time peak

135

days in the top 200 since Nov 2024

Chart positions

Where Inside Illini Basketball ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Sep 30, 2026).

#181 ▼ 18 Basketball US

What listeners say

A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.

Love the content, topics as well as depth. So much so that I felt the need to comment. I really want to listen. I’m asking for your help. The sound quality is at times quite poor. I find that Scott will make some quick comments, speaking rapidly, when the volume fades. This rarely occurs at the podcast beginnings but 10-15 minutes into listening, I have to rewind or shut down. Anything you can do to improve sound quality is greatly appreciated.

Illini Big Man · Oct 2021

This podcast would get four or five stars for me, because I’m a lifelong a addict to Illini basketball. I love the content and the banter, and the inside information from Scott. I listen to the episodes, and it takes me back to Champaign. But Scott Richie, you have GOT TO speak up man. Frequently I have to rewind to try and catch what you said, especially when answering questions from your podcast partners. You’re a big guy, with a big voice, use it so we can hear you.

DAA1964 · Feb 2021

This episode with Jeff was BY FAR the best of this podcast! Very insightful chat and questions. More my speed than the usual weekly ribbing and banter. In any case, would love to see more of these with Jeff! Either way, I’m always listening every week to get my Illini fix- thanks to all of you for your effort and dedication. So nice to be able to consume content despite living in warm SoCal

Drew2290 · Feb 2021

I absolutely love Illinois athletics and will try to absorb as much content as possible no matter the source. I’ve tried listening a few times but even after big wins/news it’s hard to be excited with their lack of energy. I quickly lose interest in their soft spoken tone. Their content is awesome and they do a good job organizing but it’s very difficult to want to keep listening if there’s not going to be a lot of energy. Underwhelming enthusiasm effort for podcasters talking about a B1G program.

Danny Juarez · Jun 2022

We strive to present a balanced view by showing a diverse range of reviews from Apple Podcasts.