Chambana Sun

No. 14 Illinois will host Colgate on Friday, November 14, at the State Farm Center in Champaign. Both teams enter the game with a 3-0 record. The matchup marks the conclusion of a four-game homestand for Illinois, which currently holds a five-game home winning streak.

Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois has won 32 consecutive nonconference home games against unranked opponents. The team is coming off an 81-77 win over No. 11 Texas Tech, following earlier victories against Jackson State and Florida Gulf Coast. Andrej Stojakovic scored 23 points and Kylan Boswell added 22 in the win over Texas Tech. Stojakovic also contributed three steals and two blocks, including a key defensive play in the final seconds. Boswell surpassed 1,000 career points during the game.

Illinois’ victory over Texas Tech was its highest-ranked win since defeating No. 9 Oregon on January 2, 2025, and its first ranked nonconference home win under Underwood’s tenure. Since the start of the 2019-20 season, Underwood has led Illinois to 28 wins over ranked opponents—tied for eighth nationally during that span.

The Illini have moved up three spots to No. 14 in this week’s AP Top 25 poll and remain at No. 14 in the Coaches poll as well. They have been ranked in each of the last seven seasons under Underwood’s leadership.

Illinois leads the Big Ten and ranks fourth nationally in rebound margin (+22.3 rebounds per game). According to kenpom rankings, Illinois is currently fourth overall with the third-best offense (123.1) and thirteenth-best defense (94.7).

Freshman forward David Mirkovic was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week after recording double-doubles in his first two collegiate games—a feat not achieved by an Illinois freshman since Kofi Cockburn in 2019—and averaging nearly a double-double through three games this season.

Keaton Wagler, another freshman starter for Illinois, ranks third on the team in scoring (17 points per game) and rebounding (6.7 rebounds per game), while leading with offensive rebounds per contest among freshmen nationally who are under six feet seven inches tall.

Brad Underwood commented on his approach to scheduling: “Illinois head coach Brad Underwood believes in putting together a rigorous schedule to prepare for Big Ten play, and that has resulted in the Fighting Illini annually competing against some of the nation's strongest schedules over the last eight seasons.”

This year’s schedule includes upcoming neutral-site matchups against top-25 teams such as Alabama (Nov.19), UConn (Nov.28), and Tennessee (Dec.6). The Big Ten portion features eight games against teams from last year’s NCAA Tournament field.

Friday’s contest will be streamed live via B1G+, requiring a subscription for access to both live events and archived content from previous seasons.

The all-time series between Illinois and Colgate stands at five wins for Illinois without a loss; their most recent meeting was a home victory for then-No.16 Illinois on December 17,2023.

Assistant coach Camryn Crocker will face his former program after joining Underwood's staff from Colgate this season.

Illinois has consistently played one of college basketball's toughest schedules under Underwood; last season they finished with kenpom's fourth-rated strength of schedule nationally.