Chambana Sun

The Illinois men's basketball team is set to conclude its Pacific Northwest road trip with a game against Washington on Sunday, January 5, 2025. The matchup will take place at the Alaska Airlines Arena in Seattle, Washington, and is scheduled for 3 p.m. CT (1 p.m. PT). The game will be broadcast on BTN with commentary from Guy Haberman and Don MacLean.

Illinois enters the game ranked No. 22 with a record of 10-3 overall and 2-1 in the Big Ten Conference. Washington holds a record of 10-4 overall and 1-2 in conference play. This will be the second contest in a series where Illinois plays four out of six games on the road.

Recently, Illinois secured a significant victory over No. 9 Oregon with a score of 109-77, marking their first road win against a top-10 opponent since March 6, 2021. The win was notable for being the largest margin of victory by any road team over an AP Top-10 opponent and the largest road win in Illinois history against any top-25 opponent.

Head coach Brad Underwood has led Illinois to consistent success, including reaching Top-25 rankings for six consecutive seasons. Currently, Illinois is ranked No. 22 and leads the Big Ten in several statistical categories according to NCAA rankings.

Key players for Illinois include freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis who averages 16.3 points per game and sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic who nearly averages a double-double with 14.2 points and a team-leading 9.2 rebounds per game.

The Illini have shown strong performance against ranked teams this season with victories over No. 19 Arkansas, No. 20 Wisconsin, and No. 9 Oregon, tying them for second-most top-25 wins nationally behind Auburn.

As they prepare to face Washington, Illinois aims to maintain their momentum from recent high-scoring games while continuing to excel in rebounding and defensive efficiency as evidenced by their national standings.