Illinois basketball announces official 2025-2026 Big ten schedule

Illinois basketball season is almost here. The Big Ten Conference has finally released the full schedule for the 2025–26 basketball season. The league adopted a 20-game conference slate back in 2018, and it will continue with that format this year.

Illinois basketball will face every Big Ten team once, either at home or on the road, and will play Northwestern, Nebraska, and Maryland twice, both home and away. Below is Illinois’ full slate, along with some of the most intriguing conference matchups for the Illini this season:

Michigan at Illinois – Friday, February 27
Morez Johnson Jr. makes his return to Champaign after transferring to conference rival Michigan. The atmosphere is expected to be electric, with a sold-out crowd ready to welcome back the former Illini big man.

Illinois at Purdue – Saturday, January 24

Purdue enters the season as the favorite to win the Big Ten and could open as the nation’s No. 1 team. Illinois will have a major challenge containing likely All-Americans Braden Smith and Trey Kaufmann-Renn in Mackey Arena.

Illinois at UCLA – Saturday, February 21

The Illini travel to Los Angeles to take on UCLA in their first true road matchup against the Bruins since 1997. UCLA is projected to be among the league’s top teams, led by a dynamic backcourt of Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark.

Illinois at Northwestern – Wednesday, January 14
Although Illinois has historically dominated the series, they’ve dropped three straight road games at Welsh-Ryan Arena. With Brooks Barnhizer gone, Northwestern may take a step back, making this a prime opportunity for the Illini to end their skid in Evanston.

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