The 200 Level with Mike Carpenter: A Fighting Illini Fan Podcast

Illinois basketball secured its biggest win of the year (and one of the biggest in program history) with a 76-53 win at #2 Michigan. Mike Carpenter, Trevor Vallese and Isaac Ambrose react during a thrilling second half, and utter these three words for the first time: national title contenders.

Mike Carpenter recaps the big win over Wisconsin, a huge week ahead at Michigan and Ohio State, and how the Illini can secure a 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Later, Cory Bradford hops on the podcast to talk about his new t-shirt with Fourth and Kirby, his career at Illinois, and what it's like to watch Frank Williams' kid help lead a top-5 Illini team into March Madness.

Despite a flurry of late game 3's from D'Mitrik Trice, the Illini closed out a gutty win in Wisconsin with ten consecutive made free throws. Mike Carpenter and Isaac Ambrose react during the thrilling victory, as Illinois gets a big road victory without their best player to improve to 14-4 in the Big Ten.

It's the first-ever dual solo/second-half pod in the history of The 200 Level! Mike Carpenter kicks things off discussing Ayo's injury, its silver linings, and a feverish Illini fan base spurred on by some questionable sports media types. Then, Trevor Vallese and Isaac Ambrose react during Illinois' impressive win over Nebraska.

It's a tale of two teams, as the Illini put in their worst performance of the year against a hungry Michigan State team. Mike Carpenter, Trevor Vallese, Isaac Ambrose and Andrew Wilson react during a positively stinky second half.

He did it again. Ayo Dosunmu notches his second triple-double in 2 weeks as the Illini smoke Minnesota 94-63. Mike Carpenter, Trevor Vallese and Issac Ambrose react during an immensely entertaining second half as Brad Underwood's squad makes a statement on national TV.

The 5th-ranked Illini are about to hit the road for awhile, beginning with a tough matchup at Minnesota. Mike Carpenter discusses Ayo's spectacular season, the remaining schedule, and how this team's legacy will be defined by the moments ahead. Also, Carp is excited that Bret Bielema's tenure will begin at Memorial Stadium instead of Dublin.

Bad opponent, close game, late heroics . . . rinse and repeat. Mike Carpenter, Trevor Vallese and Isaac Ambrose react during an Illini win over Northwestern in which Ayo Dosunmu saved the day late and moved their conference record to 11-3.