Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois takes on Northwestern in the regular-season finale Saturday at 2:30 p.m. CT.

The University of Illinois is place where dreams become a reality everyday for many student-athletes and coaches. Katie O'Connell lived her dream as a standout second baseman for the Fighting Illini from 2001-04. The Illinois alumna has returned to her alma mater to chase yet another dream, this time as a coach.

Read what the teammates of the 2008 Fighting Illini football seniors said they'll remember about them as they get set for their regular-season finale tomorrow at Northwestern.

Illinois basketball coach Bruce Weber has a strenuous schedule. After flying home from Nashville late Thursday night, he awoke at 5:00am to watch his daughter compete for the Illinois state diving championship in Evanston three hours away. In between diving sessions, he took time to visit by teleconference with interested media about the Vanderbilt victory and his team's progress.

Illinois and offensive line coach Eric Wolford have had recent success recruiting offensive linemen from the city of Chicago, including current Illini Jeff Allen and 2009 verbal Leon Hill. Junior offensive lineman Laken Tomlinson is quickly rising to the top of line prospects in Illinois, and Coach Zook and his staff are heavily involved with the outstanding talent from Lane Tech.

The Vanderbilt men’s basketball team suffered their first loss of the season Thursday night when the fell to Illinois 69-63. The Commodores made just 13 of 21 free throws on the night and were unable to convert a couple of layups in the closing minutes.