Brad Underwood Richmond Family Endowed Men’s Head Basketball Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Brad Underwood Richmond Family Endowed Men’s Head Basketball Coach | University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics Website
Illinois has released its non-conference men's basketball schedule for the 2025-26 season. The lineup features five games against teams that participated in the 2025 NCAA Tournament, including three that reached the Elite Eight.
The season will begin with an exhibition game against Illinois State on October 19. The official opener is set for November 3 at home against Jackson State. This game starts a four-game homestand, which continues with Florida Gulf Coast on November 7, Texas Tech—an Elite Eight team—on November 11, and Colgate on November 14.
On November 19, Illinois will play Alabama, another Elite Eight participant, at the United Center in Chicago. This marks Illinois' first regular-season non-conference game at the venue since 2017.
After returning to Champaign for games against Long Island (November 22) and UT-Rio Grande Valley (November 24), Illinois will travel to New York City to face UConn at Madison Square Garden on November 28. UConn won consecutive NCAA Championships in 2023 and 2024 and made it to the Round of 32 last season.
A new two-game agreement with Tennessee begins this year with a matchup in Nashville on December 6. Tennessee also reached the Elite Eight last season.
On December 22, Illinois faces Missouri in St. Louis during the annual McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game. Illinois aims to keep possession of the trophy for a third straight year; Missouri appeared in last year's NCAA Tournament.
The non-conference slate concludes at home against Southern on December 29.
For Big Ten play, Illinois will host Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Oregon, Rutgers, Washington and Wisconsin. Road games are scheduled at Iowa, Maryland, Michigan State, Nebraska, Ohio State, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA and USC. The complete Big Ten schedule will be announced later.
Illinois returns three starters from a team that won 22 games last season and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Illini finished with a final kenpom ranking of No.17 and have recorded six straight seasons with at least twenty wins during coach Brad Underwood's tenure. Over the past six years under Underwood’s leadership they have achieved more Big Ten victories than any other program nationally over that span (https://kenpom.com/).
"We are excited about our schedule this year," said head coach Brad Underwood. "It gives us great opportunities to compete against some of the best programs in college basketball."
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