Chambana Sun

No. 14 Illinois will host No. 11 Texas Tech on Tuesday, November 11, at State Farm Center in Champaign. The game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on FS1 with Jeff Levering and Steve Smith providing commentary.

Both teams enter the matchup undefeated at 2-0. This contest marks the first-ever meeting between the Fighting Illini and the Red Raiders.

Illinois comes into the game after convincing wins over Jackson State (113-55) and Florida Gulf Coast (113-70). The team aims to start 3-0 for the fifth time under head coach Brad Underwood, who is in his ninth season at Illinois with a record of 167-101.

The Illini moved up three spots this week to No. 14 in the AP Top 25 poll and remain at No. 14 in the Coaches poll. They have also reached No. 3 in kenpom rankings, having finished in the top-20 nationally each of the last two seasons.

Forward David Mirkovic was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after recording double-doubles in both opening games—becoming "the first Illini freshman to record a double-double in his college debut since Kofi Cockburn in 2019." Mirkovic averaged "18.0 points, 12.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists on the week."

Freshman guard Keaton Wagler has started both games alongside Mirkovic and enters Tuesday's matchup as Illinois' second-leading scorer at "20.5 points per game." He leads the team in free throws made (15) and attempted (17), while shooting a team-best "65% from the field" through two games.

Senior Kylan Boswell is approaching a career milestone, entering Tuesday’s contest just "21 points shy of reaching 1,000 for his career (979)."

Brad Underwood previously faced Texas Tech during his tenure at Oklahoma State, holding a career record of "2-0 all-time vs. Texas Tech," but this will be his first time facing them as Illinois head coach.

Illinois has compiled a strong recent record against ranked opponents with "27 victories over ranked opponents since the start of the 2019-20 season," tied for ninth nationally over that span.

Coach Underwood emphasized scheduling challenging non-conference matchups to prepare for Big Ten play, leading Illinois to face several top-ranked programs early this season—including upcoming games against Alabama, UConn, Tennessee, and Missouri—all teams that participated in last year’s NCAA Tournament.

The Illini return three starters from last year’s squad that won "22 games, advanced to the NCAA Round of 32, and finished...ranked 17th in kenpom." Since the start of Big Ten play in 2019-20, Illinois leads or ties for most league wins with Purdue—totaling "81 league wins" over six seasons—and holds an .840 winning percentage when hosting current Big 12 programs at State Farm Center.

Illinois continues its four-game homestand looking to extend its home winning streak to five.