No. 25 Illini at No. 8 Michigan Game Preview

No. 25 Illinois at No. 8 Michigan

Thurs., January 15, 2026

6pm CT, Crisler Center, Ann Arbor, Michigan

TV: Peacock

 

Illinois Starters Last Game (at Penn State)
Pos. No. Name Ht. Yr. PPG RPG APG SPG BPG Season Note
G 2 Destiny Jackson 5-6 Fr. 8.3 4.3 5.1 1.5 0.1 8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.2 apg vs. B1G
G 4 Gretchen Dolan 5-11 R-So. 13.6 3.6 2.9 1.2 0.4 5th best B1G FT%, 22nd in NCAA - 88.7%
G 8 Jasmine Brown-Hagger 5-9 Jr. 5.4 1.7 1.5 1.1 0.1 Season-high 12 pts, 3 rebs, 2 stls at FSU
F 23 Berry Wallace 6-1 So. 18.7 6.9 1.7 0.5 0.4 Nine 20-point games this season
F 30 Cearah Parchment 6-3 Fr. 11.6 7.7 1.2 2.0 0.5 Four double-doubles; 10 games with 10+ points

Career Record: 233-113 (.673), 12th season
Division I Record: 204-88 (.699), 10th season
At Illinois: 77-38 (.670), Fourth season
Big Ten Record: 34-26 (.567), Fourth season

  • Move the Illini to 41-39 all-time vs. Michigan
  • Improve Green to 2-3 overall vs. Michigan
  • Mark Illinois' 2nd win in Ann Arbor under Green
  • Move Illinois to 19-20 when playing at Michigan
  • Move Illinois to 23-18 in road games under Green
  • Mark UI's first 5-2 B1G start since 2022-23
  • Move Green's career record to 234-113 in 12 seasons
  • Improve Green to 35-26 in Big Ten games
  • Move Green's DI record to 205-88 in 10 seasons
  • Move Green's Illinois record to 78-38
  • Give Illinois WBB an all-time record of 724-778
  • Move UI to 2-2 vs. ranked teams this season

The 52nd campaign of Illinois women's basketball continues on Thursday, Jan. 15, when Illinois visits #8/7 Michigan for a 6 p.m. CT game on Peacock and NBCSN from the Crisler Center. 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
  • Illinois has been ranked during all four 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
  • The Illini are the third-youngest team across the Power 4 + Big East conferences behind Kansas State and Creighton.
  • 10 non-con wins tied program record
  • Illinois went a perfect 6-0 in December
  • Best 14-game start in program history at 13-1
  • Matched best 15-game start at 13-2
  • 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)
  • 3 of Illinois' next 4 opponents are ranked

Michigan is off to a 14-2 start on the season including a 5-1 reading in Big Ten play. The Wolverines and Illini both earned wins over Penn State and Purdue. UM is 9-0 in home games this season. Head coach Kim Barnes Arico is in her 14th season in Ann Arbor.

Illinois leads the all-time series against Michigan, 41-39, with Thursday's game marking the 81st all-time meeting. The Wolverines lead 20-18 when the series has been played in Ann Arbor. Illinois won the most recent meeting at Michigan 77-64 on Jan. 31, 2024. Shauna Green is 1-3 all-time vs. UM.

Illinois' 14-3 start through 17 games matches the best start in program history. This mark has been achieved five times now including twice by Shauna Green.

BEST 17-GAME STARTS

Rank   Season           Record   Coach

1. 2025-26 14-3 Green
2022-23 14-3 Green
1986-87 14-3 Golden
1981-82 14-3 Schroeder
1980-81 14-3 Schroeder
T-6. 4x, MR 2024-25 13-4 Green

The best 18-game start in program history is a 15-3 reading, achieved three times and most recently by Green's 2022-23 squad. The 2025-26 Illinois team has the chance to match that mark on Thursday with a win.

BEST 18-GAME STARTS

Rank  Season            Record  Coach

1. 2022-23 15-3 Green
1981-82 15-3 Schroeder
1980-81 15-3 Schroeder
T-4. 3x, MR 2006-07 14-4 Green

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

2022-23 12.9 2nd 27th
2023-24 12.4 2nd 16th
2024-25 12.6 2nd 24th
2025-26 12.8 4th 24th

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 83.3% mark from the stripe.

FREE THROW PERCENTAGE UNDER GREEN

Season    Pct. B1G Rank D-1 Rank

2022-23 75.6 8th 53rd
2023-24 79.5 1st 6th
2024-25 79.3 1st 7th
2025-26 83.3 1st 1st

Podcasts

552 - Illini Break 3-Game Losing Streak at Northwestern

Listen

551 Illini Road Win Over Iowa 75-69

Listen

1.9.26 - Portal Kombat, Illini Women & A'ja Wilson & Illini vs Iowa Coming Up

Listen

550 Illini Crush Rutgers 81-55

Listen

549 Illini Portal Kombat Wins with Steve Sturm

Listen

548 Illini Strangle Penn State 73-65

Listen

1.2.26 - Music City Champs, Basketball Rolling & Why the SEC is Overrated

Listen

547 Portal Kombat Day 1 & CFP Thoughts

Listen

546 - Illini Beat Tennessee in Music City Bowl

Listen

545 - Illini Beat Tennessee in Music City Bowl

Listen

544 - Illini Smash Southern 90-55

Listen

543 Illini Football Preview Tennessee Volunteers Part II

Listen

542 IlliniGuys 2025 Illini Year in Review

Listen

541 Illini Football Preview - Tennessee Volunteers

Listen

12.26.25 - Music City Bowl, Braggin' Rights Massacre & CFP Predictions

Listen