Illinois

Ranked-choice voting could come to Illinois in 2028

Published

2 years ago

March 5, 2024

Ranked-choice voting could come to Illinois in 2028

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WIFR) – While more than a third of the country cast their 2024 primary ballots on Super Tuesday, a task force of Illinois lawmakers meets today in Springfield with their sights set on possible changes to the 2028 election.

Ranked-choice voting is already established in other states, like Alaska and Maine, but the system is in effect in 60 jurisdictions across 24 states.

Voters have the opportunity to rank the candidates from favorite to least favorite.

The election is over if one candidate has more than 50% of the first-place votes. If not, the candidate with the least votes is eliminated, and that candidate’s voters are moved to their second choice, continuing the process until someone gets majority support.

“There’s a big reason we’re always electing D’s & R’s. The system favors them. Whoever has the most votes wins and that favors the two major parties,” said St. Edwards University political science professor Brian Smith. “Any kind of reform like this is going to cut into their say.”

State Representative Maurice West is the co-chair of Illinois’ ranked-choice and voting systems task force. Although ranked-choice voting will not be put in place for this year’s election, West says the 2028 election could be a possibility.

“Ranked choice voting, in my words, is to ensure that your vote is counted, no matter what,” West said. “The ranked-choice voting that we are trying to implement here in the state of Illinois is focused on presidential primaries. We are working together with people on both sides of the aisle, we are collecting all the facts to see what the appetite is here in the state.”

Although West feels ranked-choice voting has advantages, he says it also has disadvantages, like updates to voting machines and informing state residents of what the system is and how it differs from the process we use now.

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Illinois

Movement for Illinois Basketball in Bracketology and Advanced Metrics?

Published

4 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Press Room

Movement for Illinois Basketball in Bracketology and Advanced Metrics?

Illinois has lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, falling 85-82 in overtime at Michigan State on Saturday and 92-90 in overtime at home against Wisconsin on Tuesday.

That led to a notable change in one updated NCAA Tournament projection, despite the NET rankings and KenPom still holding the Illini in high regard.

With six Big Ten games remaining and the conference tournament ahead, a lot can change come Selection Sunday. But here’s a closer look at where Illinois stands in recent projections and updated rankings:

Illinois falls in CBS Sports’ updated Bracketology

Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks to forward David Mirkovic (0) against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois fell from a No. 2 to a No. 3 seed in CBS Sports’ updated Bracketology after Tuesday’s loss to Wisconsin. However, the outlet noted that its model still projects the Illini to climb back up to the No. 2 line come Selection Sunday, so it could be just a temporary setback.

In this scenario, Illinois would play No. 14 seed Winthrop in the Round of 64, followed by a matchup against No. 6 seed Clemson or No. 11 seed Miami (Ohio). Out of the MAC, Miami (24-0) is the nation’s last undefeated team, while Clemson is second in the ACC standings at 20-4 and 10-1.

One of the teams Illinois is battling for a No. 2 seed is Purdue, which moved up from a No. 3 to a No. 2 seed after the Boilermakers’ overtime win at No. 7 Nebraska on Tuesday. Purdue (10-3) is a half game behind Illinois (11-3) in the Big Ten standings and lost a head-to-head meeting to the Illini at Mackey Arena, the teams’ only matchup of the season.

Illinois is also a victim of Kansas’ eight-game win streak, which dates back to Jan. 13 and includes wins over No. 1 Arizona, No. 2 Iowa State, No. 13 BYU and No. 13 Texas Tech. The Jayhawks are a No. 2 seed in CBS Sports’ latest projection despite being unranked in the AP poll as recently as Jan. 12.

Illinois’ most likely seed is a No. 3 at 30.9 percent, according to TeamRankings.com, followed closely by a No. 2 seed at 24.5 percent. Back-to-back losses may have eliminated Illinois’ chances of securing a No. 1 seed, though. These projections say a No. 4 seed is more likely at 21.4 percent, compared to its chances of earning a No. 1 seed at 3.1 percent.

NET rankings, KenPom still love the Illini

Illinois Fighting Illini guard Keaton Wagler (23) drives against Wisconsin Badgers guard Braedon Carrington (0) at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Losses to Michigan State and Wisconsin may only be a blip on the radar for Illinois, whose metrics have been largely unaffected over the past five days.

lllinois moved down just one spot from No. 4 to No. 5 in the NET rankings after Tuesday’s loss to Wisconsin. Houston moved ahead of the Illini as a result of recent double-digit wins over No. 13 BYU and Utah. The top three of Michigan, Arizona and Duke remains unchanged.

The NET rankings also show that seeding takes more than just the win-loss record into account. Illinois is still at No. 5 with five losses, ahead of teams like Gonzaga, Iowa State, UConn, Purdue, Michigan State and Nebraska – among others – who have fewer losses.

Part of that is because metrics like KenPom suggest Illinois is elite in a few areas. The Illini are No. 1 in adjusted offensive efficiency and No. 15 in strength of schedule, bolstering their resume as KenPom’s No. 6 team overall. If there’s one thing to be concerned about, though, it’s Illinois’ No. 31 adjusted defensive efficiency – the worst of any team in KenPom’s overall top 15.

What’s next?

Illinois Fighting Illini forward Jake Davis (15) shoots against the Wisconsin Badgers at State Farm Center. | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Illinois hosts Indiana (17-8, 8-6) at 11 p.m. CT on Sunday at the State Farm Center in Champaign. The Hoosiers are No. 31 in the NET rankings, so as things stand, it would be a Quad 2 win for Illinois. But if the Hoosiers win a few more games and move into the top 30, it could eventually become a Quad 1 win and boost Illinois’ resume.

Following Sunday’s game, Illinois travels to face USC (18-6, 7-6) on Wednesday and UCLA (17-7, 9-4) on Feb. 21, both of which would be Quad 1 wins on the road. If the Illini are able to win the next three, they may still have a shot at the Big Ten title when No. 2 Michigan (22-1, 12-1) comes to Champaign on Feb. 27.

Illinois is one of four teams – along with Nebraska, Purdue and Michigan State – that has three conference losses. So with a strong finish, it should be able to jump back up to the No. 2 seed line despite the recent setback.

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Illinois

Wisconsin women buried by 3s at Illinois, continue to struggle on road

Published

17 hours ago

February 12, 2026

Press Room

Wisconsin women buried by 3s at Illinois, continue to struggle on road

MADISON – Life on the road continues to be rough for the Wisconsin women’s basketball team.

The Badgers dropped to 2-7 in opposing arenas with a 92-60 loss to Illinois on Feb. 11 at State Farm Arena in Champaign, Illinois. The loss marked the Badgers’ fourth Big Ten road loss by at least 25 points.

Freshman center Dorja Zaja finished with 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Senior forward Gift Uchenna added 13 points, but nine came in the second half when UW trailed by as many as 41 points.

Wisconsin’s top two scorers, Destiny Howell and Kyrah Daniels, combined for nine points on 3-for-20 shooting overall that included 1-of-9 shooting from 3-point range. Daniels led the Badgers in assists (five) and tied for second in rebounding (six).

Wisconsin coach Robin Pingeton thought her team’s troubles started in practices following its overtime loss to then-No. 25 Washington on Feb. 8

“We had two days of practice that just were flat and not in a way of feeling sorry for ourselves that we didn’t get the win but exhauston.,” Pingeton said on the Badgers postgame radio show. “And so how do you pick yourself up and get yourself ready to go battle again?

“That’s truly where I thought the game was lost, before we even stepped between the lines. It’s a great group of girls. We love them to death. It’s a special locker room for sure, but, you’ve got to learn to through the fires.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss.

Illinois shooters make Wisconsin pay

The Illini feature a strong interior presence led by 6-foot-3 freshman Cearah Parchment. The team also entered play averaging a league-low 16.9 3-pointers per game and ranking 14th in 3-point percentage (33.3%).

The Badgers went with a zone defense early and Illinois sank 4 of 8 3-point attempts in the first quarter. They never cooled off. Illinois’ 64.7% 3-point shooting (11 for 17) tied its season high.

Sophomore guard Aaliyah Guyton, who entered play 32.4% from 3, went 6 for 6 and scored a career-high 22 points.

Freshman Dorja Zaja offers bright spot for Badgers

The presence of so many bigs for Illinois created an opportunity for Zaja to get more minutes and she made the most of them.

Her points as well as her field goals and field goal attempts were season highs. Her 19 minutes equaled the most she has played this season.

It was as aggressive offensively as she’s been.

“She’s got a high IQ,” Pingeton said. “She lets the game come to her versus forcing the action, not rushing.”

UW keeps turnovers low, hits offensive glass but does little with chances

Wisconsin produced some good statistics. It finished with just 11 turnovers, its lowest road total this season. It also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds.

But true to the night, UW couldn’t do anything with the extra possessions. The Badgers had just 11 second-chance points and had a tough time getting space and time for their shots. Statistically, Wisconsin’s 36.9% shooting was Illinois’ best game of defense since the conference opener versus Indiana

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Illinois

Why did Greg Gard wear a blonde wig to celebrate Wisconsin’s win?

Published

1 day ago

February 11, 2026

Press Room

Why did Greg Gard wear a blonde wig to celebrate Wisconsin’s win?

“The hair goes home sad. The Badgers go home happy.”

That was the message posted to the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball X account, along with a video showing coach Greg Gard donning a blonde wig as he ran into the postgame locker room Feb. 10.

The celebration came moments after UW upset No. 8 Illinois, 92-90, in Champaign, Illinois.

While Gard has a history of similar locker-room entrances after big wins, you may be wondering about the wig in this one — although, if you watched the game broadcast, you saw that wig plenty of times.

Gard was stealing a bit from Illinois student fans, many of whom were adorned in blonde wigs at the game as part of a “Jake Davis Wig Giveaway.”

Davis, a junior starter who’s seen his role increase considerably in past weeks, happens to have flowing blonde locks for real. He averages 5.5 points and 2.0 rebounds per game.

Leading up the game, Illinois coach Brad Underwood was among those donning a wig to promote the night.

Illinois was missing two of its top scorers in the game, pushing Davis to a season-high 37 minutes against Wisconsin, and he finished with 11 points and five boards.

His presence on the floor gave wigged-out Illinois fans lots to cheer about during the game, but Wisconsin’s rally to win in overtime soured the mood.

(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)

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