Illini Inquirer Podcast: An Illinois Fighting Illini athletics podcast

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner chats a ton of Illinois hoops with two great guests. First, BTN's Trent Meacham chats about his transition to a broadcasting career and then breaks down Illinois basketball's great start to Big Ten play and keys to staying atop the conference. Then Badger247's Michael Hogan joins the podcast to preview Wednesday's matchup vs. No. 11 Wisconsin and discuss why the Badgers and star Johnny Davis have been such a big surprise.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Derek Piper discuss No. 24 Illinois basketball's 59-56 win at Northwestern. The guys discuss Kofi Cockburn's big return, Da'Monte Williams' heroics and true freshmen Brandin Podziemski and RJ Melendez stepping up in relief of struggling veterans. The guys then discuss the much more difficult stretch ahead for an Illini team that sits atop the Big Ten standings at 8-2.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner chats with former Illini basketball player Mike LaTulip about short-handed Illinois basketball's 56-55 win over No. 10 Michigan State. The guys discuss the importance of Trent Frazier, the backup big men stepping up in relief of Kofi Cockburn and Luke Goode's big game. LaTulip also breaks down why the defense was so good during the first half and why the offense failed to score during the final six minutes. The guys then look ahead to Saturday's game at Northwestern and discuss the top of the Big Ten.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Derek Piper react to Illinois basketball's 56-55 nail-biting win over No. 10 Michigan State without Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo. The guys discuss how Illinois was in position to win and how they (barely) held on for its first true marquee win of the season so short-handed. The guys discuss big contributions from Trent Frazier, Luke Goode, Omar Payne and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk before discussing big-picture takeaways including the Big Ten title race and how Brad Underwood's team is starting to mirror another great Big Ten program.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner chats Illini football to start the episode, including transfers out and Bret Bielema following through on his in-state recruiting pledge. Then Jeremy previews No. 24 Illinois vs. No. 10 Michigan State with Graham Couch of the Lansing State Journal, who breaks down the Spartans and the matchup against the Illini, with or without Kofi Cockburn.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Joey Wagner react to Illinois basketball's 81-65 loss at Maryland and why Illinois struggled so much without star center Kofi Cockburn, the frontcourt issues, the defensive issues and what it means moving forward after back-to-back Big Ten losses.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner starts the podcast discussing the comings and goings for Illinois football so far this offseason. Then he chats with Mike LaTulip about Illinois basketball's loss to Purdue. The guys discuss the Boilermakers and Kofi Cockburn's relative struggles against marquee/B1G opponents. Then the guys discuss what Andre Curbelo's fantastic return to the court means for the team moving forward, Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk's big day and Andre Curbelo shooting out of a slump. The guys then look ahead to games at Maryland and against Michigan State.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Joey Wagner discuss No. 17-ranked Illinois basketball's 96-88 double-overtime loss to No. 4 Purdue. The guys discuss whether they are encouraged or discouraged in the showing, especially given Kofi Cockburn's struggled. The guys discuss surprise performances from Andre Curbelo (welcome back!) and Benjamin Bosmans-Verdonk and what they mean for the team moving forward. The guys then look ahead to the next stretch of games.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner and Derek Piper discuss Illinois basketball's 68-53 over Michigan, which was without Hunter Dickinson and Brandon Johns, to set up a huge Monday matchup against No. 7 Purdue. The guys discuss how Illinois won ugly again and what that means moving forward against tougher competition. The guys also break down player performances, including Trent Frazier's latest takeover, before discussing this budding rivalry.

Illini Inquirer's Jeremy Werner chats about the start of a stretch of Big Ten games that will tell us a lot about No. 25 Illinois. Then he chats with Illini all-time leading scorer Deon Thomas about what he thinks about the Illini heading into the heart of Big Ten play. Then the guys have a deep conversation on Kofi Cockburn's growth and future, including whether he could return for an extra season of college. The guys wrap up the conversation talking about Trent Frazier's impact and growth from Omar Payne and Coleman Hawkins and how Deon thinks Illinois stacks up in the Big Ten,