The Drive with Lon Tay & Derek Piper

2/28/25 Hour 2: What's the best end of season scenario for Illinois to root for?; TSJ shining for T-Wolves

Derek and Kyle discuss what the best case scenario would be for Illinois to finish the season from a seeding perspective and a potential Illinois-Indiana Big Ten Tournament rematch becoming a possibility. Later, the guys share their thoughts on Terrence Shannon Jr.'s recent emergence for the Timberwolves and make their picks for Illinois-Michigan.

2/28/25 Hour 1: How will Illinois handle Michigan's frontcourt?; Zach Shaw (TheMichiganInsider) on Wolverines' turnaround and matchup with Illini

Derek and Kyle break down how they anticipate Illinois will try to guard Michigan's frontcourt duo of Danny Wolf and Vlad Goldin and some keys to the matchup for Illinois. Later, TheMichiganInsider's Zach Shaw joins the show to share his insight on Michigan's magical season and how they match up with Illinois.

2/27/25 Hour 2: How important will Big Ten Tournament be for Illini this year?; Top 3 MLB ballparks we most want to visit this season

Lon and Derek discuss how important the Big Ten Tournament could be for the Illini this season from a seeding perspective and what they'll likely need to do in Indy to set themselves up well. Later, the guys brainstorm which MLB ballparks they'd most want to visit this season if they could.

2/27/25 Hour 1: Is it time to appreciate Tom Izzo's greatness?; Brad Evans (The Gaming Juice) talks Illini, NCAA Tournament bracket

Lon and Derek discuss Michigan State's miraculous half court buzzer beater to beat Maryland and if it's time to appreciate Tom Izzo's greatness and consistent winning. Later, The Gaming Juice and Bet MGM's Brad Evans joins the show to give his take on the Illini and lay out some NCAA Tournament bracket projections.

2/26/25 Hour 2: What's Illinois' path back to a 7 seed?; Reassessing our priority list for next year's roster

Derek and Kyle discuss what Illinois would need to do the rest of the season to get back up to the 7 seed line in the NCAA Tournament. Later, the guys reevaluate their priority list of players to bring back for next season and discuss whether Kylan Boswell has played his way back into being a bigger priority.

2/26/25 Hour 1: Illinois stops the bleeding with bounce back over Iowa; What would be a successful season for this team?

Lon and Derek break down the Illini's desperately needed win over Iowa and some of the changes they made on both ends of the floor. Later, the guys share their take on what would amount to a "successful" season for Illinois at the end of the year.

2/25/25 Hour 2: Who do you trust the most in March on the Big Ten?; Bardo's take on Illini's lack of pride

Derek and Kyle discuss who they'd trust the most to make a deep run in March out of the current crop of Big Ten teams. Later, the guys talk some more Illinois-Iowa and react to Stephen Bardo's take on the lack of pride Illini players currently have in the program.

2/25/25 Hour 1: Vibes heading into tonight's must win game vs Iowa; Keys for Illini against Hawkeyes

Derek and Kyle discuss the vibes heading into the Illini's must win game against Iowa to save their season. They also break down some keys to the matchup for Illinois against the Hawkeyes.

2/24/25 Hour 2: What would you change about Illinois entering March?; Another Illini wins on the PGA Tour

Lon and Derek discuss what they would change about Illinois personnel wise and schematically entering March and if there's anything they can change to get things back on track. Later, the guys react to a second Illini winning on the PGA Tour with Brian Campbell's win at the Mexico Open.

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.