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Illinois’ focus on toughness, the latest in the WNBA labor situation and a Bulls rookie’s injury lead the Chicago basketball report this week.
Every Tuesday, Tribune writers will provide an update on what happened — and what’s ahead — for the Bulls, Sky and local college basketball teams. Want more? Sign up for our Tribune sports newsletter.
Brad Underwood to Illini: ‘Get tougher’
Illinois coach Brad Underwood was glad his team had an eight-day layoff after the 74-61 loss to Connecticut on Friday at Madison Square Garden.
Underwood said his 14th-ranked Illini, who dropped to 6-2 with the loss, desperately needed practice as they “figure out how to win and be tough.” He was ready to drill them on such matters as they prepare to face No. 13 Tennessee on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. — their fourth ranked opponent this season.
“Make it hard. Stress them. Put demands on them and expectations,” Underwood said of what’s ahead this week in practice. “And get them tired, mentally tired, and (push) them to execute and defend. Not making the same mistakes over and over and over.
“There’s an accountability to that. I’m putting guys on the court that have not been held accountable through practice because we’re playing so many games. We’re just trying to play guys into shape. That’s been the frustrating thing as a coach.”
How Illinois’ ‘Balkan Five’ came together — and are giving the No. 17 Illini a new sound
Against the Huskies, the Illini shot 32% from the field and 21% from 3-point range — including 23% and 13% in the second half. They still managed to cut UConn’s lead to seven late in the game but couldn’t complete the comeback.
“It comes down to toughness, coming out there and doing everything that matters to win the game,” Illinois guard Kylan Boswell said.
WNBA avoids lockout — for now
The WNBA and its players union agreed Sunday to an extension of the current collective bargaining agreement, pushing back a deadline for a new deal to Jan. 9. The extension pushed off concerns of a work stoppage — which could culminate in a lockout or strike — after months of publicly contentious negotiations. But a final agreement is still a long-term project as the sides struggle to make concessions.
According to the Associated Press, one of the league’s latest proposals offered a series of significant changes to the salary and revenue-sharing structure of the CBA, which would have allowed for maximum contracts above $1.1 million and elevated the league minimum from roughly $66,000 to $220,000. The players did not accept this offer and reportedly pushed for a fixed-rate increase to the salary cap to allow compensation to grow with the league.
This is the second extension in the negotiating process after the CBA originally was set to expire Oct. 31. ESPN reported that the league pushed for a 21-day extension, while the players union advocated for a six-week delay before landing on the 40-day agreement. Players aren’t due to report for the 2026 season until late April, but any work stoppage could threaten key offseason mechanisms including the expansion draft, the college draft and free agency.
The Chicago Sky are one team with urgent free-agency needs that could be dictated by both the timeline and results of the CBA negotiations. Only four players — 2025 rookies Hailey Van Lith and Maddie Westbeld and second-year pros Kamilla Cardoso and Angel Reese — are currently under contract with the Sky.
Noa Essengue sidelined with shoulder injury
It took long enough for Bulls first-round pick Noa Essengue to make his NBA debut — 16 games, to be exact.
Now Essengue is sidelined indefinitely with a shoulder injury, which he suffered during a Nov. 28 G League game with the Windy City Bulls. Essengue scored 15 points in 31 minutes in that game with nine rebounds and six assists.
The 18-year-old has tallied only six NBA minutes with a steal, a turnover and no points or rebounds. The Bulls haven’t offered a timeline for Essengue’s return — an unfortunate piece of timing as they turn to two-way players such as Lachlan Olbrich and Emanuel Miller to plug holes caused by significant injuries to the frontcourt.
Number of the week: 120
The Bulls on Saturday finally snapped an 11-game streak of allowing opponents to score 120 or more points against their flimsy defense. But the problem persists for a team that has allowed fewer than 120 points only five times in 20 games this season — and fewer than 100 points only once.
This is partially due to a flurry of early-season scoring. The NBA median through Sunday was about 118 points per game, a four-point increase from last season’s final median of 114. The Bulls are allowing opponents to score an additional five points above that median while averaging 119.9 points themselves, sixth in the league. The resulting math is relatively straightforward.
Bulls record when a team scores fewer than 120 points: 4-1
Bulls record when a team scores more than 120 points: 5-10
Week ahead: Bulls
Wednesday: vs. Nets, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
Friday: vs. Pacers, 7 p.m. (CHSN)
Sunday: vs. Warriors, 6 p.m. (CHSN)
The Bulls added two games to their schedule after missing the quarterfinals of the NBA Cup for the third consecutive season, winning only one of their four group-stage games. They will travel to play the Charlotte Hornets on Dec. 12 (6 p.m., CHSN) and will host the New Orleans Pelicans on Dec. 14 (6 p.m., CHSN).
That’s two more games against bottom-tier opponents, which should favor the Bulls. But as injury and defensive concerns continue to mount, the Bulls lost to both the Hornets (6-15) and Pelicans (3-18) last week.
Week ahead: Best college basketball games
Wednesday: Northwestern men at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. (BTN)
Thursday: No. 18 Notre Dame women at No. 13 Mississippi, 8 p.m. (ESPN2)
Saturday: No. 14 Illinois men vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville, Tenn., 7 p.m. (ESPN)
Northwestern lost a close one 86-81 to Oklahoma State on Thanksgiving night and will try to rebound against its early Big Ten slate: Wednesday at Wisconsin and Saturday at home against Ohio State (1 p.m., BTN).
The Notre Dame women and Illinois men continue their early season tests against ranked teams. The Illini dropped to 1-2 in those games with the loss to UConn. The Irish are 1-1 against ranked teams.
What we’re reading this morning
Quotable
“Initially we were told we were going to play in the first game, and Oklahoma State and I were both very disappointed by television’s decision to move the game where it was. They had to go through it, too, so it’s not an excuse. … At the end of the day, it is what it is and you’ve got to deal with it. Actually, in the NCAA Tournament a lot, teams play late games. That’s how we kind of sold it to our guys. … It’s not an excuse, but obviously it wasn’t an ideal start time.”
— Northwestern coach Chris Collins on the 9:30 p.m. start against Oklahoma State in the CBS Thanksgiving Classic at the United Center. CBS decided No. 4 Duke should get the early slot for its 80-71 win over No. 25 Arkansas
