Enjoy the day today. Today is the last day of January 2026, a month in which Illinois Basketball never experienced a loss. It was a good month.
If you would, would you consider keeping that undeafeated-January-positive-energy going by helping me out with a share? Here are a couple ideas…you could share my Substack with:
1. The last person you went to an Illini basketball game with.
2. The first person to text you with big news when it breaks.
3. Someone you are looking forward to tailgating with next football season.
4. The person you know who is most likley to wear their Illini gear on game day.
Thank you for considering!
WHAT TO WATCH
Woof….not exactly a heavy-hitting lineup for Saturday. Makes sense with Nebraska hosting Illinois tomorrow and Michigan/Michigan State already battling it out last night. But here’s what we’ve got:
1. Indiana (NET: 32) @ UCLA (NET: 40)
Watch Score: 72 | 4:00 PM CST | NBCSN, Peacock
✅ Quad 1 opportunity for Indiana
The Hoosiers head to Pauley Pavilion in what looks like the day’s most watchable matchup. Indiana (NET 32) needs every quality win it can grab, and a true road victory against UCLA (NET 40) would do serious work for their tournament resume. For UCLA, protecting home court against a Big Ten opponent might help them enter the bubble conversation.
2. Ohio State (NET: 37) @ Wisconsin (NET: 43)
Watch Score: 80 | 1:00 PM CST | FOX
✅ Quad 1 opportunity for Ohio State
A solid Big Ten road battle between two potentially tournament-caliber teams. Ohio State travels to Madison looking to maintain position in the NCAA conversation, while Wisconsin protects home court.. Neither team is lighting the world on fire this season, but this is competent, physical Big Ten basketball with actual stakes.
3. Washington (NET: 58) @ Northwestern (NET: 66)
Watch Score: 124 | 7:00 PM CST | Peacock
✅ Quad 1 opportunity for Washington
Two bottom-tier Big Ten teams battling it out in Evanston. Washington and Northwestern haven’t done much to inspire confidence this season.
4. Rutgers (NET: 165) @ USC (NET: 48)
Watch Score: 213 | 6:00 PM CST | NBCSN, Peacock
✅ Quad 1 opportunity for Rutgers (good luck bro)
USC handles business here. Rutgers is buried toward the bottom of the standings. This game doesn’t move the needle much for me.
ILLINI IN THE PROS
NBA
Ayo Dosunmu, Chicago Bulls
Steady as ever, Dosunmu dropped 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting with 7 rebounds and 5 assists in Thursday night’s 116-113 loss to Miami. The third-year guard tied a season-high in rebounds while playing a team-high 31 minutes, hitting all six of his free throws in the process.
Ayo’s expanded role came out of necessity after Jalen Smith left the game early with a calf injury, and he responded with exactly the kind of complete performance Chicago needs. With the Bulls fighting to stay in the play-in conversation, his ability to step up when opportunity knocks remains his greatest asset (sound familiar? - he’s still got it).
Will Riley, Washington Wizards
The rookie set career highs in both assists (5) and steals (4) during Friday’s 142-111 blowout loss to the Lakers, pouring in 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting (3-of-7 from three) in 25 minutes off the bench.
Riley was one of the few Wizards who showed up in a game where Luka Doncic casually recorded a triple-double before the third quarter ended. The 4 steals for Will were particularly impressive, suggesting his defensive instincts are starting to translate at the NBA level. Washington may be bound for a lottery pick, but Riley’s development continues trending upward.
Kasparas Jakučionis, Miami Heat
The rookie drew another NBA start Thursday, running the point for 13 minutes in Miami’s 116-113 victory over Chicago. After starting the game and getting a decent stretch of minutes in the first quarter, it was only occasional spot minutes here or there for the rest of the game. He did rack up 4 personal fouls, however they weren’t in a bunch in the first quarter, so this was not necessarily the reason for him getting pulled.
Jakučionis didn’t score on his lone field goal attempt (a three-pointer) but contributed 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal while finishing as a +1 in the three-point win. This quote from Coach Spo in the post-game presser is reassuring for KJ fans:
Brandin Podziemski, Golden State Warriors
Friday night wasn’t pretty for Podziemski, who finished 1-of-8 from the field in the Warriors’ 131-124 loss to Detroit. But the second-year guard still managed 11 points by attacking the rim and getting to the free-throw line, adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the process.
Golden State’s home win streak came to an end against a surging Pistons team, but Podziemski’s willingness to stay aggressive despite shooting 12.5% from the field is a sign of resillience and you know Steve Kerr loves that. Some nights the shots doon’t fall….what else can you do to help the team?
THIS DAY IN ILLINI HISTORY
2004: The Beginning of a 25 Game Big Ten Win-Streak
January 31 in 2004 launched something spectacular. On that night, Illinois handled Michigan 67-52 at home behind a balanced attack. Luther Head led with 18 points, Deron Williams added 15, and Dee Brown contributed 13 as Bruce Weber’s team (his first since taking over for Bill Self) started to find its identity after a brutal 20-point loss at Wisconsin a week earlier.
That Michigan win started a clock that wouldn’t stop ticking for more than a year. What followed was the greatest sustained run in Illinois basketball history…a 25-game Big Ten winning streak that stretched from January 31, 2004 through March 3, 2005 (damn you Matt Sylvester).
The streak consisted of the final 10 conference games of the 2003-04 season, carried through the summer, and powered the legendary 37-2 team of 2004-05 through its first 15 Big Ten games.
The 2004 run helped Illinois finish 13-3 in conference play in 2003-04, earning a share of the Big Ten title in Weber’s first season.
2012: Illinois 42, #9 Michigan State 41
Listen, guys. I know during the first ten minutes of the Washington game on Thursday, many of us were thinking: This is the lowest scoring game everrrrr.
That would be because most of us had forgotten January 31 in 2012 — the second-lowest-scoring game in program history for the modern era. Brandon Paul almost had half the teams points with 18, a total which he achieved by hitting two clutch free throws with 45 seconds left in the game. Those free throws sealed a 42-41 victory over No. 9 Michigan State at the Assembly Hall.
The defensive slugfest was basketball from another era. Both teams combined to shoot just 29-for-104 from the field…a brutal 27.9 percent…with Illinois going 15-for-46 and the Spartans an even worse 14-for-58. The teams managed just 11 total assists. It was ugly, physical, and apparently completely forgettable. The 83 combined points tied for second place lowest-scoring regulation game in Illinois history with a 44-39 win over Iowa in 1946. The lowest scoring game ever was a brutal 38-33 loss to Penn State.
Bruce Weber’s Illini had already knocked off No. 10 Gonzaga and No. 8 Ohio State earlier that season, with Paul establishing himself as one of the Big Ten’s most explosive scorers. Ten days before the Michigan State game, he’d dropped a career-high 43 points on the road at Ohio State — now the fifth-highest single-game total in program history after Wagler’s 46 this month. This defensive grinder was the opposite extreme.
January 31 delivered other memorable more moments across the decades. In 2006, No. 6 Illinois walked into the Kohl Center and beat Wisconsin 66-51 behind 16 points each from Dee Brown and Rich McBride, handing Bo Ryan’s Badgers one of their rare home losses. Brian Randle also contributed a double-double (12 pts, 13 reb). Illinois remained the only Big Ten team to beat Wisconsin in Madison under Ryan at that point.
In 2001, Frankie Williams and No. 6 Illinois battled Penn State in overtime at State College, only to fall 98-95. Titus Ivory scored a career-high 27 points. Frankie Williams hit a three-pointer with three seconds left in regulation to force overtime, and Illinois cut it to one point with 14 seconds left in the extra period, but Penn State was able to hold on. Bill Self’s team still finished 27-8 that season and advanced to the Elite Eight.
Further back, Illinois pounded Iowa 79-66 in 1981, taking down the No. 13 Hawkeyes at home. The win came during a season where Lou Henson’s Illini finished 21-8 and made the NCAA Tournament.
Twenty years earlier, on January 31, 1949, Illinois fell 55-53 at Purdue despite being ranked No. 6 in the country. Harry Combes’ squad had just beaten No. 4 Minnesota two days prior and would go on to finish 21-4 and reach the Final Four at the end of that season (in a much much smaller bracket).
The deepest historical note comes from 1907, when Illinois got demolished by Minnesota 42-3 on the road. Early basketball was a different game entirely, but a 42-3 final score still jumps off the page more than a century later.