Illini at #9 Iowa

Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026 - 8 p.m. CT - Big Ten Network

Head Coach Shauna Green

Career Record: 238-118 (.670), 12th season
Division I Record: 209-93 (.695), 10th season
At Illinois: 82-43 (.661), Fourth season
Big Ten Record: 39-31 (.556), Fourth season

THE NEXT WIN WOULD...

• Move the Illini to 22-61 all-time vs. Iowa
• Improve Green to 3-1 overall vs. Iowa
• Move Illinois to 6-33 vs. Iowa in Iowa City
• Move Illinois to 25-21 in road games under Green
• Move Green's career record to 239-118 in 12 seasons
• Improve Green to 40-31 in Big Ten games
• Move Green's DI record to 210-93 in 10 seasons
• Move Green's Illinois record to 83-43
• Give Illinois WBB an all-time record of 729-783
• Move UI to 3-5 vs. ranked teams this season

OPENING TIP

The 52nd campaign of Illinois women's basketball continues on Thursday, Feb. 26, when Illinois visits #9/9 Iowa for an 8 p.m. CT road matchup on Big Ten Network. Mike Koon (PxP) and Kendall Bostic (analyst) will call the action for the Illini on the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (1400 AM/93.9 FM). Streaming, audio, and stats links are also available at FightingIllini.com/WBB.

• Illinois has a ranked win all 4 seasons under Green
• Back-to-back seasons with multiple ranked wins for first time since 1999-01.
• Achieved the third sell out of State Farm Center in program history and first under Shauna Green on Feb. 8, 2026 with all 15,544 seats sold for the game vs. USC.
• Illinois has been ranked during all 4 seasons under Green
• The Illini's 11-game win streak was the longest single-season streak and tied the longest win streak that spanned the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons
• 10 noncon wins tied program record
• Illinois went a perfect 6-0 in December
• Illinois' 3-0 start in Big Ten play was the program's best start since a 4-0 start during the 1999-2000 season
• The Illini faced a 3-game 7-day span vs. ranked opponents (#7/6 Maryland, at #24/19 Michigan State, #19/19 Ohio State)

ABOUT THE OPPONENT

The No. 9 Iowa Hawkeyes (22-5, 13-3) enter Thursday night coming off four straight victories, most recently a marquee win over No. 6 Michigan. Iowa has cruised through the Big Ten this season with the exception of a 3-game cold streak in earlier February.

Iowa reached its 20th win of the year earlier this month at Nebraska to make 2025-26 the program's 10th consecutive season notching at least 20 wins. Jan Jensen is in her second season as head coach but has been with the program as an assistant since 2000.

ALL-TIME SERIES INFO

Conference foes Illinois and Iowa have faced off 82 times since the founding of the two programs in 1974. The Hawkeyes lead the all-time series 61-21, however, the Illini have taken two of the last three meetings under the leadership of Shauna Green.

ILLINOIS' BIG TEN TEAM

The Fighting Illini notched their third consecutive 20+ point victory on Feb. 22, taking down Northwestern 92-65 on the road. Illinois scorched the nets from 3-point range, shooting a season best 12-18 from deep. Illinois is now 8-0 over Northwestern in the Shauna Green era.

Five Illini scored in double-digits in the 27-point victory, freshmen Cearah Parchment and Destiny Jackson leading the way with 19 apiece. Meanwhile, Jasmine Brown-Hagger poured in a season-high 18 points while grabbing six rebounds, five from the offensive glass.

Berry Wallace started the night 4-4 from three point range to match her career high. She turned in 17 points, five rebounds and two assists to mark her 17th consecutive game scoring in double-digits. Maddie Webber knocked down three from deep, reaching 1,000 career points, finishing with 13 on the night.

ILLINI CRUISE PAST RUTGERS

Tuesday night's (2/17) 76-56 victory over Rutgers was a product of big games from Berry Wallace and Cearah Parchment accompanied by strong ball security and defense. Wallace and Parchment combined for 41 points and 19 rebounds while Destiny Jackson ran the offensive with eight assists. The Illini dished out 24 assists in total while only giving up 12 turnovers, all while holding Rutgers to 38.9% shooting from the field.

BLOWING BY THE BADGERS

Illinois used highly-efficient shooting to cruise past Wisconsin 90-62 in Wednesday's matchup in State Farm Center. The Illini shot a remarkable 64.7% from three, led by Aaliyah Guyton, whose 6-for-6 shooting from deep led to a career-high 22 points. Guyton's 100% 3-point percentage is the best (min. 6 makes) in program history. The triumph was Shauna Green's 50th home victory at Illinois.

Six Illini scored in double-digits, all making at least one three. Freshman Cearah Parchment recorded her ninth double-double of the year, turning in 12 points and a career high 15 rebounds. Parchment reached double-double status in the second quarter with 7:29 remaining on the clock. Meanwhile, Maddie Webber scored 15 points on an efficient 7-9 night from the field.

THIRD SELLOUT IN PROGRAM HISTORY

The Sunday, Feb. 8 game vs. USC marked the third sellout in the history of Illinois Women's Basketball and the first instance under Shauna Green. The sellout was the first since the 1998-99 campaign.

The attendance of 15,544 became the first Big Ten game of the 2025-26 season to surpass 15,000 fans. It also made Illinois the fourth team in NCAA women's basketball to have multiple games with 14,000+ in attendance this season.

The previous two sellouts of State Farm Center for Illinois women's basketball games occurred under Hall of Fame coach Theresa Grentz. Most recently, on Feb. 21, 1999, an attendance of 16,450 saw the Illini take down the Iowa Hawkeyes. Two seasons prior, on Feb. 23, 1997, 16,050 fans attended an Illinois vs. Purdue showdown.

Green has now drawn the three largest crowds in State Farm Center at its current 15,544 capacity (2/8/26: 15,544; 11/18/25: 14,361; and 11/18/24: 13,486) and owns three of the top-five single-season attendances in program history.

Illinois women's basketball has now achieved back-to-back seasons surpassing total attendances of 80,000 for the second time in program history and first time since the 1998-99 and 1999-2000 seasons. The 2025-26 squad achieved the feat with three home games remaining.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL

Since the arrival of Shauna Green, Illinois has taken care of the basketball at an elite clip, turning in three straight seasons ranked with the second fewest turnovers in the Big Ten. The staff's goal is 13 turnovers or less per game and the Orange and Blue have averaged below that all three seasons completed seasons.

TURNOVERS/GAME UNDER GREEN

Season Avg. B1G Rank D-1 Rank

EFFICIENCY FROM THE CHARITY STRIPE

Green's Illini have been incredibly efficient from the free throw line. Illinois has led the Big Ten in free throw shooting the last two completed seasons and is doing so once again in 2025-26. The Illini's numbers from 2023-24 and 2024-25 are the two best completed single-season free throw percentages in program history. Following the holiday break, Illinois leads Division I with an 81.8% mark from the stripe.

FREE THROW PERCENTAGE UNDER GREEN

Season Pct. B1G Rank D-1 Rank