Illinois athletics boasts 19 teams: 9 men’s and 10 women’s. Plus, throw in hockey, which is a club sports team. We understand that it’s hard to keep track of all of them, so we’ve got you covered. We have writers dedicated to covering every Illini team this season. We’ll not only keep you up to date in our regular sports section but also online. And we’ve got a Twitter and Facebook dedicated to Illini coverage.

This year, we’re trying something new. We’re launching our DI Sports Live Twitter account, which will be the place to go for live updates, especially football and men’s basketball. For championship and other special events, we’ll dabble into other sports as well. To get you started, here’s what to look for from some of the notable teams.

Football

This is likely to be your first temptation as a true Illinois sports fan. You’ll see the trailer set up on the northern end of the Quad and be tempted to go swipe season tickets.

If winning’s what you’re paying to see, I’d save your money — the status of the Illinois football program right now, in this moment before the season, is morose. Last year was bad, and that was with four players who were good enough to make the NFL and raise hopes of a new era.

Of course, maybe those high hopes made last year disproportionately disappointing. This year, with very low expectations, Illinois football would surprise people merely by being competitive.

Volleyball

This likely should be your first temptation as a true Illinois sports fan. Head coach Kevin Hambly’s squad hosts its annual “Stuff Huff” at campus staple Huff Hall on Sept. 13 (word to the wise though — dress light, Huff is actually quite Stuffy). The team plays Washington that night, and if you like what you see, you can watch the Illini take on reigning national champ Texas the following night.

The Illini actually beat Texas last year despite suffering through its worst season since Hambly took over in 2009. Don’t let that fool you, Hambly recruits the nation’s best for the volleyball team, and it’s one of the best programs you’ll get to watch at Illinois.

Soccer

Midfielder Vanessa DiBernardo is one of the best athletes you’ll come across in your four years here. She’s going to be a senior, and just last spring finished competing with the U.S. under-23 national team. The team is coached by Janet Rayfield, who was an assistant on the U.S. national team at the same time.

The team made it to the second round of the NCAA tournament last year, making them one of the good ones at Illinois.

Men’s basketball

I’m sure you don’t need me to provide any reason to pay attention to Illinois men’s basketball. If you’re reading this far into the column, I’m sure you’ve paid attention since you were 8.

Regardless, it’s hard not to get excited for the John Groce era. He quickly separated himself from Tim Beckman’s listless new-hire nature by spearheading a 12-0 start to his first season. The season culminated in a valiant March Madness performance, but without Brandon Paul, D.J. Richardson and Tyler Griffey, the Illini will have to reload and come up with a new identity.

Expectations are generally low, as the team is expected to finish outside the top five in the conference, but expectations were low heading into last season as well. If nothing else, you know the team will compete and leave everything out on the floor.

Women’s basketball

Don’t be so quick to turn your head. Illinois women’s basketball is on the rise thanks to head coach Matt Bollant. Bollant was the most overlooked (understandably so) new hire of Mike Thomas’s bloodless revolution in Illinois sports but arguably the most successful.

His team made the WNIT quarterfinals last season before losing to Kansas State. And while that may not seem like much, it’s more impressive when you consider they were using six players for most of the season because two players had their careers end due to injury, and he was working with a roster that wasn’t his. Bollant has made it clear he intends to turn this program into a national competitor, and his team’s trajectory is indicative of that.

Hockey

Who says Illinois doesn’t have a hockey team? Well, no one says that because we do. Granted, it’s a club team, you’re probably not enough of a hockey fan to tell the difference. And if you are, well, then you would probably be interested in this anyway.

They play all year long and are generally pretty damn good. While head coach Nick Fabbrini was a senior playing for the team in 2008, the squad went 38-0-0 and won a national title. It’s all the intensity of a varsity sport, minus the free planner.

Men’s gymnastics

When it’s the Olympics, you pay attention to women’s gymnastics. When it’s U of I, you pay attention to men’s gymnastics, and it’s silly not to when they’re this good.

Head coach Justin Spring’s squad is a year removed from a national title and is looking to get back into contention this season. That squad from 2012 had three Olympic Trials qualifiers, and if you ask me, it was regional bias that kept at least one of them from making the final cut. C.J. Maestas, one of those three qualifiers, returns to action after missing last season with a torn tricep muscle.

Men’s golf

You obviously won’t be wanting to go to any golf meets, with them being in Florida and California and all, but that doesn’t mean you can’t give credit where it’s due. This team, from Illinois, a state where there’s no golfing for about six months of the year, placed second in the country at this past year’s NCAA Championships.

Head coach Mike Small has coached individual champions Scott Langley and Thomas Pieters, the likes of which you’ll be seeing more of on the PGA Tour in the coming years. While they’re no longer with the program, don’t be surprised to hear someone else’s name — perhaps Thomas Detry or Brian Campbell — to be mentioned soon as the next big thing out of Small’s program.

Eliot is a senior in Media. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @EliotTweet.