The Drive with Lon Tay & Derek Piper

12/10/24 Hour 2: How much would Ty Rodgers have helped this team?; Boswell's defensive importance vs Badgers

Derek and Kyle discuss how much Ty Rodgers could've helped this Illini team if he hadn't decided to redshirt. Later, the guys talk about Kylan Boswell's importance in slowing down Wisconsin and give their predictions for the game.

12/10/24 Hour 1: Lon weighs in on Northwestern loss; How tough will this matchup vs Wisconsin be?

Lon and Derek talk some Illinois hoops as Lon gives his take on the Illinois loss to Northwestern. The guys also discuss how tough the game against Wisconsin could be for Illinois and how much more Brad Underwood needs to rely on his bench.

12/9/24 Hour 2: Breaking down Illini's disappointing loss to Northwestern; Thoughts on late-game lineup decisions & what's next

Derek and Kyle break down the Illini's overtime loss to Northwestern and what went wrong down the stretch. The guys share their thoughts on some late game lineup and coaching decisions and also start to look ahead to the Illini's matchup with Wisconsin.

12/9/24 Hour 1: J LEMAN HOUR: Illini are headed to the Citrus Bowl!; Thoughts on matchup with South Carolina & reaction to CFP bracket

J Leman joins the show for his weekly football hour to discuss Illinois' selection to the Citrus Bowl against South Carolina. J and Derek discuss the matchup against the Gamecocks, react to the College Football Playoff bracket, and share their thoughts on some recent coaching news.

12/6/24 Hour 2: Keys for Illini in first true road game at Northwestern; Who Ya Got? Conference championship picks

Lon and Kyle break down their keys to the game for Illinois against Northwestern and how they could go about slowing down Northwestern's duo of scorers. Later, the guys do some Who Ya Got? (without Hans Dee) and give their picks for the weekend's college football conference championship games.

12/6/24 Hour 1: Derek Piper live from the road breaks down Illinois-Northwestern; Illini TE commit Grant Smith joins the show

Derek Piper joins Lon and Kyle live on his way to Evanston to break down the Illini's Big Ten opener against Northwestern. Later, Maroa-Forsyth TE and Illinois commit Grant Smith joins the show to discuss his signing with the Illini. Lon and Kyle share some thoughts on the Illini's signing day class as a whole.

12/5/24 Hour 2: Reacting to crazy night of college hoops; Bielema talks Signing Day class; Pat Bryant opts out of bowl game

Derek and Kyle share their thoughts on a wild night of college basketball including how scary Duke can become and North Carolina's struggles. Later, hear from Bret Bielema as he breaks down his 2025 National Signing Day class. The guys also discuss Pat Bryant electing to not play in the Illini's bowl game.

12/5/24 Hour 1: Number 1 likely coming to Champaign next weekend after night of upsets; Previewing Illinois-Northwestern

Derek and Kyle discuss Illinois likely getting a chance to host #1 Tennessee next weekend and how important that opportunity will be for the Illini's resume. The guys also preview the Illini's upcoming matchup with Northwestern and some things they'll be watching in the team's first road game.

12/4/24 Hour 2: Who would you put your money on to win the Big Ten today?; Piper weighs on on Bears coaching candidates

Derek and Kyle make their picks for who they would put their money on to win the Big Ten in basketball and run through some of the top candidates. Later, Derek shares his thoughts on a few Bears head coaching candidates.

12/4/24 Hour 1: Thoughts on Illini football's National Signing Day class; Big Ten hoops gets off to exciting start

Derek and Kyle share their thoughts on Illini football's National Signing Day class and the recruiting trajectory Bret Bielema and the Illini staff are on. The guys also react to two exciting Big Ten games to kick off conference play.

12/3/24 Hour 2: Trio of Illini appear in latest NBA Draft projection; Big Ten conference play set to tip off

Lon and Derek share their thoughts on the latest NBA Draft projections, which include one Illini rising all the way into the top 5 and a trio of Illini players in total. Later, the guys discuss the Illini volleyball team's NCAA Tournament berth and the first night of conference play in Big Ten hoops.

12/3/24 Hour 1: Pat Bryant snubbed from All-Big Ten 1st Team; Michael O'Brien (Chicago Sun Times) weighs in on public vs. private school debate

Lon and Derek discuss the release of the All-Big Ten football teams and react to Pat Bryant being left off the All-Big Ten first team. Later, Chicago Sun Times high school sports editor Michael O'Brien joins the show to share his insight into the IHSA's public vs. private school debate and state championship game imbalance.

12/2/24 Hour 2: Illini impress in Thanksgiving victory over Arkansas; How would you guard this Illinois offense?

Lon and Derek break down the Illini's 90-77 Thanksgiving win over Arkansas and what made the Illini's performance so impressive. The guys also discuss how they would try guarding the Illinois offense and some gripes about the latest AP Poll.

12/2/24 Hour 1: J LEMAN HOUR: Illini take back the hat and reach 9 wins; College Football Playoff rankings thoughts

J Leman joins Lon and Derek for his weekly football hour to break down the Illini's 38-28 rivalry victory over Northwestern and reaching 9 wins for the first time since 2007. The guys also discuss Bret Bielema's tweets lobbying for the Illini's playoff resume and some of the college football playoff rankings arguments heading into conference championship weekend.

11/26/24 Hour 2: UCONN goes down again; Weber or Groce?; Underwood on Little Rock win

Derek discusses UCONN's losses at Maui and Dan Hurley's craving for the villain role. Later, hear from Brad Underwood after Monday's game. Also, a texter asks if you'd rather have Bruce Weber or John Groce.

11/26/24 Hour 1: Illini MBB steamrolls Little Rock; Are you buying the defensive progress?

Lon and Derek discuss Illinois' blowout win over Little Rock on Monday night. Would you say this team is better defensively than last year or is it too early?

11/25/24 Hour 2: Ed Cooley takes shot at Illinois; Previewing Little Rock

Lon and Derek give their take on Ed Cooley's shot at Illinois in Saturday's postgame. Later, they take a look at tonight's matchup against Little Rock.

11/25/24 J LEMAN HOUR: Illini win a thriller at Rutgers; Citrus Bowl bound?

J Leman joins the guys to break down Illinois' thrilling win at Rutgers on Saturday. Later, they discuss the Illini's bowl outlook and whether Indiana should still make the CFP.

11/22/24 Hour 2: Does Illinois need one of its freshmen to turn into a star?; Illinois-Rutgers preview; Weekend picks

Derek and Kyle discuss whether Illinois needs one its freshmen to emerge as a true star by the end of the year to ultimately have success. Later, the guys preview the Illinois-Rutgers matchup and share some picks for the weekend sports action.

11/22/24 Hour 1: Piper weighs in on Illini loss to Bama and shares his biggest takeaways; Is it good or bad that veterans are the slow starters?

Derek returns and gives his take on the Illini's loss to Alabama and discusses how fixable some of the defensive issues are long term. Later, Derek and Kyle discuss whether it's a good or bad thing that the Illini's veteran guys are the ones that have started the season slow.