The Drive with Lon Tay & Derek Piper

2/24/25 Hour 1: Illinois embarrassed by Duke at MSG; Is this team completely broken?

Lon and Derek let all their thoughts out about the Illini's embarrassment at Madison Square Garden against Duke. The guys discuss whether Illinois is broken beyond repair and what the path forward is to close the season.

2/21/25 Hour 2: What does a realistic finish to the season look like for Illinois?; Underwood audio; Illinois-Duke predictions

Lon and Kyle discuss what a realistic finish to the season could look like for Illinois and where that would position Illinois entering the postseason. Hear from Brad Underwood as he discusses his team's illnesses and matchup with Duke. Later, the guys make their picks for Illinois-Duke.

2/21/25 Hour 1: What is Illinois walking into against Duke?; Derek Piper live from New York on Illinois-Duke

Lon and Kyle break down Duke and discuss how daunting the matchup will be for Illinois against Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils. Later, Derek Piper joins the show live from New York to give his take on the matchup and what the Illini need to do to hang in the game.

2/20/25 Hour 2: Priority list of Illinois returnees for next season; Early thoughts on Duke

Derek and Kyle break down who they would most prioritize on this year's Illini team to bring back for next year. Later, the guys share some brief early thoughts on the Duke matchup and Illinois being in rare territory as a big underdog.

2/20/25 Hour 1: Jeff Jones (Belleville News-Democrat) on Cardinals offseason, start of spring training; Do other top programs struggling ease the frustration around Illinois?

Jeff Jones from the Belleville News-Democrat joins the show to talk some Cardinals live from Spring Training and touch on some of the biggest stories entering Cardinals season. Later, Derek and Kyle discuss the struggles of some of the top programs in college basketball and if that changes the way they view Illinois' disappointing year so far.

2/19/25 Hour 2: Letting all the frustrations out about Illini hoops; Who do you just on Illinois moving forward?

Lon and Kyle take a lot of texts and get out all of their frustrations and burning questions about Illinois basketball following the Illini's blowout loss in Madison to Wisconsin.

2/19/25 Hour 1: How does Illinois get past all the illnesses, struggles after blowout loss vs Wisconsin?; Derek Piper weighs in on path forward for Illini

Lon and Kyle share their thoughts on another ugly Illinois loss and discuss how Illinois can get all the illnesses behind them before the end of the season. Later, Derek Piper joins the show to give his take on Illinois and how they move forward from here.

2/18/25 Hour 2: Postseason seeding scenarios for Illini; Underwood on Morez injury, offensive drought

Lon and Kyle run through some seeding scenarios for Illinois in both the Big Ten and NCAA Tournaments based on how the Illini could finish the regular season. Later, hear from Brad Underwood as he discusses Morez Johnson's injury and his team's offensive drought to end the MSU game. The guys make their predictions for Illinois-Wisconsin.

2/18/25 Hour 1: What's in store for Illini against red hot Wisconsin?; Joey Wagner (Illini Inquirer) on Illini's roller coaster, Illini WBB's remarkable run

Lon and Kyle discuss what's ahead for Illinois against a red hot Wisconsin team on Tuesday and what to make of the Tre White situation now that Morez Johnson is out. Later, Illini Inquirer's Joey Wagner joins the show to give his take on the Illini's recent roller coaster and share his insight on Shauna Green and Illini women's basketball's incredible win streak.

2/17/25 Hour 2: What's led to defensive fall off for this team?; Is hope now lost of a tournament run for this team?

Derek and Kyle discuss what's caused such a defensive fall off for Illinois of late and what went wrong on that end against Michigan State. The guys later try to talk fans off the ledge of the Illini's NCAA Tournament hopes.

2/17/25 Hour 1: From bad to worse for Illini with MSU loss, Morez injury; Sean Harrington (Former Illinois G) diagnoses Illini's struggles

Derek and Kyle discuss the Illini's brutal collapse against Michigan State and the news of Morez Johnson being out indefinitely with a fractured wrist. Later, former Illinois guard Sean Harrington joins the show to give his take on what's ailing Illinois.

2/14/25 Hour 2: Keys for Illini in rematch vs Michigan State; "Who Ya Got?" with Hans Dee

Derek and Kyle break down Michigan State's recent downward trend and what Illinois needs to do to handle the Spartans on Saturday nights. Later, Hans Dee joins the guys for his award-winning segment "Who Ya Got?"

2/14/25 Hour 1: Expectations for Illinois-MSU matchup; What should Brad Underwood's late season rotation look like?

Lon and Derek discuss the Illinois-Michigan State matchup and Terrence Shannon's return to Champaign for his jersey ceremony. Later, the guys share their thoughts on what Brad Underwood's late-season rotation should look like and which players they'd like to see prioritized over others.

2/13/25 Hour 2: What's the plan for the Cardinals entering 2025?; Best & worse case seasons for Cardinals & Cubs

Lon and Derek share their frustrations with the direction of the Cardinals heading into 2025 and their lack of offseason activity. Later, the guys discuss the best and worst case scenarios for the Cardinals and Cubs this season.

2/13/25 Hour 1: Illinois makes it back-to-back Ws with win over UCLA; Chris Widlic (CBS4 Indy) on Indiana hoops coaching search, football breakthrough

Lon and Derek break down the Illini's too close for comfort victory against UCLA and discuss their thoughts on Tre White's absence from the rotation of late. Later, CBS4 Indy's Chris Widlic joins the show to share some insight on the impending Indiana basketball coaching search, Indiana football's resurgence and Purdue basketball's continued success.

2/11/25 Hour 2: How high can Illinois still reach on the seed list? Keys for Illini vs UCLA's defense

Lon and Derek share their thoughts on the seeding possibilities for Illinois and how high they can ultimately reach with all of its Quad 1 opportunities remaining. Later, the guys break down the Illini's matchup against UCLA and what they'll need to do to crack UCLA's elite defense.

2/11/25 Hour 1: Remembering Kofi's Illini legacy ahead of jersey ceremony; Should Illini fans boo Skyy Clark?

Lon and Derek reflect back on Kofi Cockburn's Illini legacy and share some of their favorite memories of his Illinois career ahead of his jersey ceremony. Later, the guys discuss whether Illinois fans would be right to boo Skyy Clark upon his return to State Farm Center.

2/10/25 Hour 2: What does this upcoming week mean for Illinois?; Assessing Riley's draft stock after recent hot stretch

Derek and Kyle discuss how important this week is for Illinois with two Quad 1 home games and an opportunity to prove itself against quality competition coming off the Minnesota win. Later, the guys share their thoughts on Will Riley's NBA Draft potential following his recent run of stellar play.

2/10/25 Hour 1: Eagles dominate the Chiefs to win Super Bowl LIX; Illini shows encouraging signs in beatdown of Gophers

Derek and Kyle share their thoughts on the unexpected Eagles domination to win the Super Bowl and what it means for the Chiefs. Later, the guys discuss the Illini's blowout win at Minnesota and the encouraging signs they showed in the process.

2/7/25 Hour 2: Piper's Deal or No Deal proposition for Illini hoops; Super Bowl prop picks

Lon and Derek share their thoughts on Derek's interesting proposition -- would you take a Sweet 16 appearance right now as an Illini fan? Later, the guys discuss some fun Super Bowl props and share their picks.