Mike Granse-USA TODAY Sports
Good morning. Welcome to the Orange Minute for Tuesday, June 14.
On Monday, the Big Ten Conference announced start times for the first three weeks of the 2016 football season. The Fighting Illini already knew that their September 10 contest against North Carolina will be taking place at 6:30pm CT, but two other games were finally assigned television slots.
The season-opener against Murray State will air at 2:30pm CT on BTN. This first-ever meeting between the two programs will be Lovie Smith’s debut with the Fighting Illini.
Illinois’ Week 3 matchup against Western Michigan will start at 3:00pm CT, and it’ll be televised on ESPNews. The Broncos went 8-5 last year, which includes a victory in the Middle Tennessee in the Popeyes Bahama Bowl.
Here’s a look at 2016 #Illini schedule as it stands now.
4/7 home & 4/5 away times set ” https://t.co/UBR7Y2z4s3 pic.twitter.com/1MQGL4SDTR
— Illini Football (@IlliniFootball) June 13, 2016
So we’re only waiting on information for four more games. But do you notice something about those established start times? There are only two games scheduled for 11:00am CT! What a time to be alive!
Illinois Football News
– Jarrod Clements not facing suspension after arrest (TCR)
The Fighting Illini senior was involved in a fight at a party back on March 4, and police filed charges on April 28. Lovie Smith issued a brief statement on Monday to address the situation.
– Top 5 All-Time Coaches: Illinois Fighting Illini (ESPN)
This week on the Big Ten blog, we’re taking a look at the top five coaches over the years for each program. Some are more widely recognized than others, but all had a positive impact on the fortunes of their respective programs. We begin with Illinois.
– Four must-gets for Lovie Smith and Illinois Football (The News-Gazette)
Illinois football has some momentum after a successful recruiting weekend, but there’s still plenty of work to be done. Here are some players that the coaching staff needs to key in on over the next few weeks.
Illinois Basketball News
– Return of Tracy Abrams fills out intriguing Illinois lineup (Today’s U)
The point guard position isn’t the sole reason Illinois has struggled since Abrams went down (the frontcourt is right up there), but it certainly has been a factor. If a program is narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament field, it’s hard not to point to the weakest position as the main reason.