Illinois Athletic Department

August 20, 2024

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois announced its non-conference schedule on Tuesday, featuring five games against high-major opponents and four games against reigning NCAA Tournament teams, highlighted by a Final Four squad along with a pair of Elite Eight participants.

The Fighting Illini tip off the 2024-25 season on Nov. 4, hosting Eastern Illinois on opening night for the third year in a row. That begins a three-game homestand followed by SIU-Edwardsville on Friday, Nov. 8, and wrapping up on Nov. 13 with Oakland visiting Champaign for a second straight season. The Golden Grizzlies upset Kentucky in the first round of last year's NCAA Tournament.

Illinois travels to Birmingham a week later for one of its many marquee non-conference tilts, facing 2024 Final Four participant Alabama on Nov. 20 in the C.M. Newton Classic.

The Illini return to Champaign for two games in three days, hosting Maryland-Eastern Shore on Saturday, Nov. 23, followed by Arkansas-Little Rock on Nov. 25.

The Thanksgiving Day Showdown featuring Illinois and Arkansas in Kansas City is set for Nov. 28 and will be televised on CBS at 3 p.m. CT following the NFL match-up between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.

Illinois welcomes Tennessee to State Farm Center on Saturday, Dec. 14. The Volunteers, like the Illini, are coming off an Elite Eight appearance. This is a return game from last year's meeting in Knoxville.

The Illini are in St. Louis on Dec. 22, battling Missouri in the annual McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game. Illinois looks to retain the Braggin' Rights trophy following last year's 97-73 victory over the Tigers. Mizzou marks the fourth SEC opponent Illinois faces in non-conference play.

Illinois closes out the calendar year at home against Chicago State on Dec. 29.

The Illini's final non-league game occurs during the heart of Big Ten play, as Illinois heads to New York's Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Feb. 22 to take on Duke in the SentinelOne Classic on FOX. The Blue Devils are also coming off a trip to the Elite Eight.

Illinois' Big Ten home schedule includes the following 10 teams: Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, USC and Wisconsin. The Illini will make league road trips, meanwhile, to Indiana, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Rutgers, Washington and Wisconsin. The full conference schedule will be released at a later date.

Illinois is the Big Ten's winningest team in conference play over the last five years, with Head Coach Brad Underwood directing the program to a 69-31 record. Illinois has won Big Ten titles in three of the last four seasons, hoisting the tournament trophy in 2021 and 2024 and regular season crown in 2022.

The Fighting Illini are coming off the third-most victories in school history, a 29-9 season that saw the Orange and Blue win the Big Ten Tournament, advance to the NCAA Elite Eight, and end the year ranked No. 6 in the final AP poll.

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