The Daily Illini

12/07/2025

Bridgestone Arena in Nashville was rocking on Saturday night, as No. 13 Illinois (7-2) took down No. 14 Tennessee (7-2) 75-62 in front of a fully orange-clad crowd split between the two fanbases. The Illini were down by two at halftime, but they fought back hard in the second half on both ends of the floor, outscoring the Volunteers by 15

The victory is head coach Brad Underwood’s first win over Tennessee after losing the last two years, including a heartbreaking defeat on a buzzer be**er at home last season. Illinois showed a different type of energy that it had not shown all season, taking a step in the right direction after two underwhelming ranked losses.

“What an incredible atmosphere,” Underwood said. “Hard fought college basketball game. I thought that we’ve grown in a week. I was very pleased to see our sustainability.”

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✍️ Written by Evy York & Sahil Mittal
📸 Photo by Sahil Mittal

12/05/2025

At its inception, the City of Champaign’s cap, or limit, on the number of bars in Campustown was intended to reduce “the overall number of establishments where students might consume alcohol near campus.”

Today, the city only permits 11 bars in the area, down from 15 in 1993, which the city will reduce to 10 through attrition — a process where the city removes liquor licenses when bars close until the cap is reached.

The cap specifically targets the campus area. It acts as a barrier to market entry for new bars and insulates businesses from fair market competition. It also allows bar owners to subdue competition and gain an unfair advantage over other establishments.

The Champaign City Council should move to eliminate the cap in Campustown.

At its inception, the City of Champaign’s cap, or limit, on the number of bars in Campustown was intended to reduce “the overall number of establishments where students might consume alcohol near campus.” Today, the city only permits 11 bars in the area, down from 15 in 1993, which the city wi...

12/05/2025

University alum Brendan Lally fought Emmanuel “Jimuel” Pacquiao Jr., the son of world-championship boxer Manny Pacquiao, on Saturday in Temecula, California, at Pechanga Resort Casino in what was both of the fighters’ professional boxing debuts. The result of the fight, determined by three judges, was a majority draw.

The fight consisted of four three-minute rounds. At multiple points throughout the match, the commentators noted how evenly contested the fight was between Lally and Pacquiao Jr.

The official scores from the judges were a 38-point tie from judges one and two and a 39-37 Pacquiao Jr. win for judge three, leading to a majority draw result for the fight.

Lally is currently an English teacher at Hyde Park Academy High School in Chicago and is obtaining his master’s degree in education at the University. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in secondary education from the University in 2024. During his time as an undergraduate, Lally was part of the Illini Boxing Club.

University alum Brendan Lally fought Emmanuel “Jimuel” Pacquiao Jr., the son of world-championship boxer Manny Pacquiao, on Saturday in Temecula, California, at Pechanga Resort Casino in what was both of the fighters’ professional boxing debuts. The result of the fight, determined by three jud...

12/05/2025

Illinois (7-1) is fresh off a 49-point win against Bellarmine. Tuesday, the Illini defeated the Knights 90-41 for their last game before conference play.

“I think we are continuing to progress, but obviously we got our hands full against a really good team with Indiana coming here on Saturday,” said head coach Shana Green.

The Indiana Hoosiers (8-1) and the Illini are each other’s first Big Ten opponent of the season. Saturday’s 11 a.m. CDT tip-off is also the very first matchup for women’s basketball in the Big Ten.

Illinois (7-1) is fresh off a 49-point win against Bellarmine. Tuesday, the Illini defeated the Knights 90-41 for their last game before conference play. “I think we are continuing to progress, but obviously we got our hands full against a really good team with Indiana coming here on Saturday,” ...

12/04/2025

Illinois earned another All-Big Ten First Team honor, this time on offense. Senior offensive lineman J.C. Davis was voted to the first team by the coaches Thursday. The media voted Davis to the All-Big Ten Second Team.

The coaches voted Davis to the All-Big Ten Third Team last season. In his final season at New Mexico, the coaches named him to the All-Mountain West First Team.

The senior transferred to Illinois in 2024 and immediately made an impact. He started every game (13) at left tackle. Davis earned AP All-Bowl Team honors for his performance in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl last year.

He picked up right where he left off this season. Davis has started every game this season and has been one of the better tackles in the country. Pro Football Focus has Davis rated as a top-16 tackle in the upcoming NFL draft.

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✍️ Written by Ben Somerville
📸 Photo by Noah Markunas

Illinois earned another All-Big Ten First Team honor, this time on offense. Senior offensive lineman J.C. Davis was voted to the first team by the coaches Thursday. The media voted Davis to the All-Big Ten Second Team. The coaches voted Davis to the All-Big Ten Third Team last season. In his final s...

12/04/2025

The less-than-ideal weather led to lower turnout, but the energy for this weeknight matchup was still high. Illinois (7-1) looked composed from the start and posted its third 90-point game of the season. This gives the Illini a nice boost ahead of Saturday’s Big Ten opener.

Illinois’ easy 90-41 win over Bellarmine (2-8) wasn’t just for show. It gave players the chance to hone their fundamentals in a lower-stakes in-game environment. All 13 healthy Illini played at least five minutes.

“If you’re gonna be a great team, it takes every single person,” said head coach Shauna Green. “On all my championship teams, we had 14, 15 that were all bought in. Everyone is a key to that.”

Sophomore forward Irene Noya Catoira played a career-high 16 minutes and logged seven points. Graduate student forward Gisela Segura recorded her first Illinois points, as well.

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✍️ Written by Brie Dirl
📸 Photo by Noah Markunas

12/04/2025

Senior linebacker Gabe Jacas was named to the All-Big Ten First Team Wednesday by the media. He was voted to the All-Big Ten Second Team by the coaches.

Jacas finished the season on a strong note, notching two sacks in three of the final four games. His late-season efforts boosted his total to 11 sacks, the most in the Big Ten.

It wasn’t pretty all season, though. Jacas had a six-game stretch where he was nearly non-existent. After getting three sacks in the first two games, the senior tallied just 1.5 over the next six games.

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✍️ Written by Ben Somerville
📸 Photo by Ben Somerville

Senior linebacker Gabe Jacas was named to the All-Big Ten First Team Wednesday by the media. He was voted to the All-Big Ten Second Team by the coaches. Jacas finished the season on a strong note, notching two sacks in three of the final four games. His late-season efforts boosted his total to 11 sa...

12/04/2025

When you think of an adventure of a lifetime, you probably don’t think about weekly meetings in the English Building. But for these members, Adventure Club holds a special place in their hearts.

Adventure Club is a low-commitment, social RSO at the University that aims to give its members a space to utilize their creativity in various situations.

Every week, the Adventure Club comes together to embark on a new adventure. Beforehand, they’re often told very little about the adventure that day. Whether it’s a puzzle, an improv show or a murder mystery, the Adventure Club experiences something new every week.

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✍️ Written by Qyler Bowie
📸 Photo by Sam Rink

12/04/2025

After nearly three hours of uninterrupted public criticism from over three dozen community members late Tuesday night, the Champaign City Council unanimously rejected an ordinance which would prohibit camping on city property.

The ordinance, Council Bill no. 2025-196, would have banned public camping on city-owned property and public right-of-way. It also would have given those in violation a seven-day notice to clear their campsites.

City workers, according to the bill, would have been allowed to impound unattended personal belongings from campsites if not cleared within seven days. The bill further allowed the city to dispose of personal belongings if they were not retrieved within 30 days.

The proposal included a fine structure for individuals the city could prove were not experiencing homelessness. Those penalties increased from $75 to $750 depending on the number of violations within a 180-day period.

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✍️ Written by Sophia Vasilakopoulos and Qaasim Jatoi
📸 Photo by Adam Edwards

After nearly three hours of uninterrupted public criticism from over three dozen community members late Tuesday night, the Champaign City Council unanimously rejected an ordinance which would prohibit camping on city property. The ordinance, Council Bill no. 2025-196, would have banned public campin...

12/03/2025

Soring Jam voting is out – which artist(s) would you like to see perform? Let us know down below 🎶

🎥 Cece Boswell, Mitch Zvala, Josh Fine, Frankie Albarran

12/02/2025

Illinois (6-1) obliterated Le Moyne (1-6) 100-28 on Sunday afternoon, scoring in the triple-digits which it hasn’t accomplished since 2023.

“The last two games we haven’t had a strong start,” said head coach Shauna Green. “So I was really, really happy with how these guys came out and really took it to them right away and never looked back.”

As Green said, the Illini started off strong and continued on that trajectory. Sunday featured impressive performances from freshman forward Cearah Parchment and sophomore forward Berry Wallace, who each put up 17 points. Junior guard Maddie Webber followed closely behind with 15 points.

12/02/2025

Cunningham Township, which provides housing and financial assistance to residents of Urbana, announced the opening of an emergency winter shelter at the former National Guard Armory in Champaign in a press release Sunday.

The press release advised anyone seeking shelter to go to Strides, a low-barrier homeless shelter, at 70 W. Washington St. in Champaign, to determine which local shelters someone can stay in. Low-barrier shelters like Strides do not require sobriety or a criminal background check to receive services. Cunningham Township staff members will provide transportation to the new shelter from 6-8 p.m. each night.

“We are grateful to Friend in Me, CU Public Health, STRIDES, State of Illinois, UC Friends Meeting, Angel Donors, the Cities of Urbana and Champaign and all our partners for helping us move towards our goals: no one left outside and housing is a human right,” the statement read.

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