Illinois Basketball Releases full non-conference slate for 2026-2027 season

Illinois basketball officially released its 2026-27 nonconference schedule on Friday, and Brad Underwood certainly didn’t take the easy route.

The Illini will face one of the more challenging nonconference schedules in college basketball, with road trips to Texas Tech and Duke, a Final Four rematch against UConn in Chicago, the annual Braggin’ Rights game against Missouri in St. Louis and a late-January showdown with North Carolina in Nashville.

Illinois could face five potential top-25 teams, with every one of those games coming away from State Farm Center. Three of those opponents are blue bloods, while Duke and UConn are currently projected as top-five teams entering the season.

For a team with an incredibly deep roster and massive expectations, Illinois will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself before the calendar turns to March.

But over the next two months, there may be one question surrounding Illinois basketball that generates more conversation than any opponent on the schedule.

When will David Mirkovic return?

The talented big man continues to recover from foot surgery, and while the Illini haven’t announced a definitive timetable for his return, the three October exhibition games now take on even more significance.

Will David Mirkovic play against Cincinnati on October 17th? Could he make his return at State Farm Center against Baylor on October 23rd? Or will Illinois take an even more cautious approach and wait until the regular season?

Those are the questions that could dominate conversations in Champaign as the season approaches.

The good news for Illinois is that the NCAA’s recent rule change gives teams an additional preseason opportunity. After increasing the limit from two to three scrimmages or exhibitions, Illinois will have three chances to evaluate its roster before the regular season begins.

And those aren’t exactly three meaningless tune-ups. Illinois will travel to Cincinnati for its first exhibition before returning home to face Baylor and UIC. 

Three unique Exhibition challenges

Cincinnati will provide Illinois with an intriguing first exhibition test under new head coach Jerrod Calhoun, who has completely reshaped the Bearcats’ identity through the transfer portal. After years of being associated with a physical, defensive-minded grit-and-grind approach, Cincinnati is expected to feature a much more offensive-minded roster built around an influx of new talent. 

Baylor will provide Illinois with another strong early exhibition test, as Scott Drew enters the 2026-27 season with a reloaded roster and another talented group assembled to compete in the Big 12, coming off a very disappointing season. The Bears will be headlined by the Mingo brothers and Caden Powell for the matchup at the State Farm Center.

For Mirkovic, those games could provide a valuable opportunity to gradually work his way back — if he is cleared and Illinois believes he is ready. The Illini certainly don’t need to rush him for an October exhibition. The bigger picture is having Mirkovic healthy when the games truly matter.

And looking at this schedule, there won’t be much time for Illinois to slowly ease into the season.

A mammoth non-conference slate

After opening against Fairleigh Dickinson, Illinois will host Penn and former Big Ten coach Fran McCaffrey before traveling to Texas Tech on November 10th. That matchup could feature former Illini guard Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn and potentially a loaded Red Raiders roster depending on future eligibility rulings.

Then comes a trip to Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 17th.

Duke, currently ranked No. 2 in CBS Sports’ preseason Top 25 and 1, could be one of the most difficult games on Illinois’ entire schedule. The Blue Devils return several key pieces from last season’s Elite Eight team while adding another elite recruiting class and a strong transfer group.

After three home games against Eastern Illinois, Winthrop and Western Kentucky, Illinois gets a week to prepare for another massive matchup: a Final Four rematch against UConn at the United Center on December 4th.

The Huskies are also loaded and enter the season ranked No. 4 by CBS Sports.

Add Missouri, Seattle and North Carolina to the schedule. Underwood has put together a nonconference slate that should leave Illinois battle-tested long before the NCAA Tournament arrives.

There were reportedly efforts to add a sixth high-major opponent, but Illinois still landed one of the nation’s toughest schedules. More importantly, Illinois basketball will have numerous opportunities to build a strong NCAA Tournament résumé.