Illinois’ 10 funniest quotes and moments from 2026 Final Four run

The Illinois Fighting Illini might not be the favorites during this weekend’s Final Four, but they’re certainly the best bet to deliver a memorable quote at some point during their stay in Indianapolis.

Let’s take a look at the 10 best quotes (so far) from the group that has consistently entertained America while also serving as every sports information director’s worst nightmare.

10. “Holy shit. What the fuck is wrong with you?” —Kylan Boswell after David Mirkovic attempted to rip the whole net off the rim instead of cutting a piece off

9. “Last year I’m not sure Ben could guard a dead man. Probably would give up 20 to Izzo’s mom, last year. This year he’s guarding everybody and does not make mistakes … Tom don’t get pissed and call me tonight when you see this. I hear she’s a hell of a player.” —Brad Underwood on Ben Humrichous’ improved defense

8. “My name is David, but my nickname is David.” —David Mirkovic trying to explain the pronunciation of his name

7. “The news just fucking broke. Final Four. Let’s get it, baby.” —Andrej Stojakovic holding up a newspaper during Illinois’ post-Elite Eight victory celebration

6. “I think it wasn’t a foul. Can I talk about it?” —Tomislav Ivisic

“No you cannot.” —Illinois head coach Brad Underwood

“I was very excited that we were up and that my team did good.” —Tomislav Ivisic

5. “I love that. Some people don’t like it, they think it’s not classy. But when people destruct things after wins, I’m a fan of.” —Andrej Stojakovic after seeing the Illinois students celebrating the team’s trip to the Final Four

4. “We didn’t come here to let anybody bitch us … my bad” —Zvonimir Ivisic after Illinois’ Sweet 16 win over Houston on March 26

3. “I saw the big was about to help, and I had a feeling that he might miss. I came in, just happened to catch it, and I just dunked the shit out of that motherfucker.” —Kylan Boswell on his putback dunk against USC on Feb. 18

2. “When he got to like 24 in the first half, I was like ‘shit, this motherfucker’s shootin’ the … like, he’s making everything. We’ve gotta keep gettin’ him the ball.‘ And we did.” —Jake Davis on Keaton Wagler’s 46-point game against Purdue

1. “If we lost today and I wasn’t playing, I would k*ll myself probably.” —David Mirkovic on playing through the pain in Illinois’ road win over Purdue on Jan. 24

Zero PR training. Perfectly built for March … and early April.