The Illini Break Down

Intern Caddy & Dave recap what happened during the Fighting Illini's trip to Carver-Hawkeye Arena. 

Caddy & Dave don't care how ugly it is, but you have to get a W against Charlotte this week. This entire episode is two guys just chatting about Illini hoops. We talk about who will be this team's third leading scorer, freshman expectations, our favorite conference matchups, and much more. 

Deja vu, anybody? Bret Bielema ignored the analytics and punted on 4th & short once again. Caddy and Dave talk about went what wrong in West Lafayette, bright spots from the game, and their expectations moving forward.  

Well, it only took until Week 4 of the college football season for us to start anticipating some great Illini hoops. This episode starts off with a Maryland recap (00:00-12:55) and slides into a short Purdue preview(12:55-24:34). The second half of episode is all Illinois basketball talk. We cover which non-conference game we anticipate will be the toughest, Andy Katz player rankings, and much more. 

Trap game? No, but we shouldn't take UTSA lightly. Illinois will have their hands full against a well coached UTSA team. The guys give their predictions for Week 1, and we review the QB situation. After our Illinois predictions, we place our bets for every B1G football game this weekend. 

Although we're all battling hangovers, the Illini Break Down guys are still riding high from the win over Nebraska. We give our thoughts on Art Sitkowski, Blake Hayes' dominance, and how it feels to have a competent football team. In Bret We Trust. 

College football is finally here. If you are looking for a preview of Week 0, I'd recommend either of our past two episodes. The guys are expecting a win no matter what this week. If Illinois wins, it's a huge boost for the football program. If they lose, Scott Frost probably hangs around the B1G for a little while longer. That's a win-win scenario in our book. Seriously though, the guys are excited to get the beers flowing at Memorial Stadium and can't wait to see the Illini back in action. 

Rob and Dave are both mildly confident that Illinois will beat Nebraska. After diving through some game predictions, we talk about Cam Corhen and Cam  Whitmore being on campus for official visits next weekend. Also, the guys get into a little bit of Bears talk, and Rob has a dark horse pick for the NFC West. 

In today's episode of the Illini Break Down, Cad & Dave finally dive into some Illinois football. We talk about the Week 0 matchup against Nebraska, what it is going to take for Bret Bielema to make a bowl game this season, and we do a mild preview of the roster. Intern Caddy and Dave are both mildly optimistic, but still have Lovie ball fresh in their minds. 

Intern Caddy, Dave, and Rob are fully aboard the Chicago Bulls band wagon. The guys can't wait to see Ayo in a Chicago Bulls uniform. We talk about Ayo's role with the Bulls and also cover other tidbits of the NBA Draft.

In this week's episode of the Illini Break Down the buzz is off the charts. Illinois football is officially back as the Big Ten has announced the return of football for the fall season. Rob and Dave sit down and talk through what this means and how excited everyone should be for Lovie's best roster he has put together throughout his tenure. Beyond that, the boys talk about the Bears' week one win against the Lions and what they're feeling about Mitch. The episode then caps off with some NBA playoffs talk and the Clippers' meltdown against the Nuggets. 

In this week's episode of the Illini Break Down Podcast, Rob and Dave sat down to interview former Illinois running back Dre Brown. This interview covers an extensive variety of topics that range from Dre's favorite moments this season all the way to his top 5 food spots in Champaign. This is truly an episode that you won't want to miss.

In this week's episode of the Illini Break Down, Dave and Rob have already fallen back into old habits. Given the current state of Illinois football, the boys give their concerns about the coaching staff along with what the implications of a bad season would be. Things aren't all bad, though. There is also some conversation on what there is to be excited about coming into this year and where things can improve. The episode caps off with some talk about the NFL season returning and the highlight games of the weekend. 

In this week's episode of the Illini Break Down Podcast, Rob and Dave take some time to talk about the two biggest storylines in Illinois recruiting: missing on both Brandon Weston and David Jones. What does this mean for Brad Underwood and staff? Additionally, the boys talk about Andy Katz and his latest article about the top players returning in college basketball for 2020-2021. Rounding out the Illinois basketball conversation are some Over/Unders to keep an eye on as the season (hopefully) inches closer. The episode closes with talk about the NBA playoffs and why everyone is slandering Giannis.   

Rob and Dave are finally back from their hiatus to bring you the Illinois content you've been craving. During this episode, the guys go through where they've been for the past several months and give a recap of everything they have missed, including the end of the 2019-2020 football season and the most notable moments of the basketball season. Sit back, relax, and enjoy reliving the highlights of this past year with your favorite podcast hosts. 

After a long four years, the Fighting Illini are officially going bowling this season. In this week's episode of the Illini Break Down Podcast, Rob and Dave recount their experience of the largest comeback in program history. After being down 28-3 in the first quarter, Illinois fought their way back to stun the Michigan State Spartans on a last second touchdown pass from Brandon Peters to Daniel Barker. The boys give their reactions from the game along with their MVP's. Illinois basketball was also in action over the weekend against Grand Canyon and the University of Arizona. Rob and Dave talk about the road trip along with touching on some of the latest in recruiting. 

In this week’s episode of the Illini Break Down Podcast, Rob and Dave are elated as Illinois football has won its third conference game in a row for the first time in over a decade. Listen in as the boys recap the game, list their offensive and defensive takeaways, and give out the Blue Guy of the week. In case you didn’t know, Illinois also has a shot at winning the West and making it into the Big Ten Championship. Rob explains what all has to fall into place in order for this to happen. After this, Rob and Dave sit down to talk with former Illinois basketball player Aaron Jordan. The questions range from his favorite memory as an Illinois player to what wild animal Coach Underwood would be. Aaron also helps out with a little season preview for men’s basketball. Interview starts at 16:50. After the interview, Rob and Dave discuss the *gulp* overtime win against Nicholls State and what their thoughts were. The episode caps off with a preview of the road games ahead this weekend.  

On this week’s episode of the Illini Break Down podcast, Rob and Dave dive into the Purdue game and give you what their thoughts were regarding how Illinois played. The boys will go through both offensive and defensive takeaways and what they would still like to see improve as the season progresses. The conversation then moves into Rob and Dave’s official stances on having Lovie as a head coach. The episode concludes with a look at the remaining schedule and the possibility of winning three Big Ten games in a row for the first time in over a decade.

On this week’s episode of the Illini Break Down podcast, Rob and Dave are fired up. Illinois football knocked off #6 Wisconsin on Homecoming weekend. The boys break down how they experienced the win and then move into their offensive and defensive takeaways for the game. After that, the Blue Guy of the week is given out. From there, Rob and Dave discuss the possibility of a bowl game and how this game changes Lovie’s future with the program. The episode concludes with some basketball recruiting and a memorial for Kam’s.

In this week’s episode of the Illini Break Down Podcast, Rob and Dave go through what they took away from the loss against Minnesota. This includes what went wrong, both offensively and defensively, and what still needs to be fixed to salvage the season. The boys also give their take on why Lovie is no longer the answer to fixing this program. After that, a preview for the upcoming game against Michigan takes place. The episode concludes with some talk about playoff baseball, the Bears, and how Dave’s bets went down over the weekend.