
The Drive is your daily Illini sports podcast from ESPN 93.5. Kurtis Allen and Evan Stone cover Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball, Illinois Fighting Illini football, the Chicago Bears, Cardinals, Cubs and the biggest sports stories in Champaign-Urbana with interviews, analysis, and a lot of laughs. New episodes every weekday. 🎙️
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Episodes

Nov 8, 2024
Nov 8, 2024
53 min
Derek and Kyle discuss the Illini women's opening night ranked win over FSU and what it means for their season. The guys also preview the Illini men's matchup with SIUE and some things they hope to see in Game 2 from Illinois.

Nov 7, 2024
Nov 7, 2024
54 min
Derek and Kyle discuss how sustainable they believe the Illini's fast-paced, three point-reliant offensive style is and what some keys are to playing it effectively. Later, the guys reflect on the 2023-24 Elite Eight team ahead of Friday's ring ceremony and brainstorm some items they'd add to the Illini Basketball Hall of Fame.

Nov 7, 2024
Nov 7, 2024
53 min
Derek and Kyle discuss Indiana's season opener against the Illini's Friday opponent SIUE and how much more of a test the Cougars will give Illinois especially in the frontcourt. Later, 247 Sports's Isaac Trotter joins the show to share his first impressions of the Illini freshmen and his biggest takeaways from around college basketball.

Nov 6, 2024
Nov 6, 2024
54 min
Derek and Kyle react to the first College Football Playoffs and some of the controversial decisions the committee made. Hear from Illini coach Bret Bielema as he discusses his staff's plans during the bye week. Later, the guys discuss their pick of whether Kasparas Jakucionis or Will Riley will ultimately be selected higher in the NBA Draft.

Nov 6, 2024
Nov 6, 2024
54 min
Derek and Kyle take a look at how a few former Illini offseason targets have began their seasons and compare them to their current Illini counterparts. Later, the guys share a few thoughts on the opening night results around the Big Ten and some things that stood out.

Nov 5, 2024
Nov 5, 2024
55 min
Derek and Kyle discuss the surprising news of Ty Rodgers deciding to redshirt the night of the season opener and what it means for both this year's team and Ty's future. Later, the guys share some more thoughts from opening night.

Nov 5, 2024
Nov 5, 2024
54 min
Derek and Kyle recap the Illini's 112-67 opening night win over Eastern Illinois including Will Riley's 31 point outburst and some other standouts. Later, Riley's former AAU program UPlay Canada's program director Dwyane Washington joins the show to share his insight on working with Will, his decision to come to Illinois, and his mindset.

Nov 4, 2024
Nov 4, 2024
50 min
Derek and Kyle discuss the Illini newcomers they're most excited to see make their Illini debuts against Eastern Illinois. The guys preview the matchup with the Panthers and talk about Brad Underwood's calls for more defensive toughness and grit coming off the Ole Miss exhibition.

Nov 4, 2024
Nov 4, 2024
54 min
J Leman joins the show for his weekly football hour to share his thoughts on the Illini's disappointing 25-17 loss to Minnesota. The guys also discuss what's led to Luke Altmyer's recent struggles and how to properly judge the Illini's 6-3 start and the quality of their roster.

Nov 1, 2024
Nov 1, 2024
1hr 50 sec
Lon and Derek are live at Pia's Sports Bar and Grill in Champaign to preview the Illini's game against Minnesota and share some thoughts ahead of Illinois basketball's season opener against Eastern Illinois. Hans Dee also stops by for his award-winning segment "Who Ya Got?"

Nov 1, 2024
Nov 1, 2024
54 min
Lon and Derek are live at Pia's Sports Bar and Grill in Champaign to break down the Illini's matchup against Minnesota. Former Illinois Associate AD also stops by to catch up and share his thoughts on the Illini's big year.

Oct 31, 2024
Oct 31, 2024
54 min
Derek and Kyle discuss whether Illinois is feeling the loss of Tim Anderson at all on the recruiting trail and what could be next at that assistant coach spot for Brad Underwood. The guys also discuss how crucial Tomislav Ivisic is to Illinois this season. Later, hear from head coach Bret Bielema as he shares his final thoughts ahead of the game against Minnesota.

Oct 31, 2024
Oct 31, 2024
54 min
Derek and Kyle discuss the Dodgers erasing a 5-0 deficit to win the World Series and how hard it will be to take them down in the future. Later, Aaron Leming from the Bear Report joins the show to share his thoughts on the Hail Mary debacle in Washington, Caleb Williams's progress, and what the future holds for Matt Eberflus in Chicago.

Oct 30, 2024
Oct 30, 2024
55 min
Derek and Kyle continue discussing some notable college hoops exhibition results from around the country. Later, hear from offensive coordinator Barry Lunney as he discusses his offense ahead of this weekend's game against Minnesota.

Oct 30, 2024
Oct 30, 2024
53 min
Derek and Kyle discuss the fan interference controversy at the World Series and whether they think the Yankees can make it a series again. The guys go through some notable exhibition results around college basketball.

Oct 29, 2024
Oct 29, 2024
54 min
Derek and Kyle discuss what a 9 or 10-win season could do for the Illinois football program. Hear from Luke Altmyer and Bret Bielema as they discuss moving on from the Oregon loss. Later, the guys share a few more Illini hoops thoughts coming off the exhibition against Ole Miss.

Oct 29, 2024
Oct 29, 2024
53 min
Derek and Kyle discuss how surprised they are at Minnesota coming into Champaign as a favorite. The guys also talk about how important this game is for Illinois, and whether Curt Cignetti could be poached from Indiana this offseason.

Oct 28, 2024
Oct 28, 2024
52 min
Lon, Derek and Kyle share their thoughts on the Illini's rough exhibition showing at Ole Miss and whether they have any level of concern moving forward. The guys also discuss how much they believe this group can improve defensively?

Oct 28, 2024
Oct 28, 2024
57 min
J Leman joins Lon and Derek for his weekly football hour to break down the Illini's 38-9 loss at Oregon and how things got away so quickly for Illinois. The guys also preview the upcoming matchup with an improving Minnesota team and a crucial month for November for the program.

Oct 25, 2024
Oct 25, 2024
57 min
Lon and Kyle give some final thoughts about what they're expecting when Illinois travels to Oregon. Hear from wide receiver Pat Bryant as he discusses his big year and the opportunity ahead. Later, the guys look ahead to the weekend and do some "Who Ya Got?" without Hans Dee.
