Illini Athletics 2023: First Half Year-In-Review

Sports may have an offseason, but our fandom doesn’t. The Illinois Fighting Illini bestowed us with plenty of remarkable moments during the first half of 2023. Players & coaches achieved major milestones, some streaks continued, while some streaks were ended. We experienced disheartening losses and exhilarating triumphs.

As the days on the calendar keep whizzing by, let’s embrace the good (and bad) and catch up on what you might have missed — or want to relive — during the past six months.

Jan. 1: Fighting Illini women’s basketball upsets future Player of the Year Caitlin Clark and the No. 12 Iowa Hawkeyes, 90-86, giving Shauna Green her first signature win as head coach. The victory marked Illinois’ first versus a ranked opponent since January 2019.

Jan. 2: Illinois falls to Mississippi State, 19-10, in the ReliaQuest Bowl. The Bulldogs kicked the go-ahead field goal in the final seconds, then scored a TD on the ensuing kickoff after a failed Illinois lateral. The…