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Illinois Basketball to play Secret Scrimmage vs Butler

The Illini will finally play some external competition.

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Illinois Basketball coach, Brad Underwood.
Mar 30, 2024; Boston, MA, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts against the Connecticut Huskies in the finals of the East Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois Basketball is just weeks from official season activity. Before the October 27th exhibition vs Ole Miss, the Illini will play a not-so-secret scrimmage on October 13th. Illinois basketball will face off against former Big Ten coach, Thad Matta, and the Butler Bulldogs. This is an early opportunity for the Illini to harness some on-court chemistry given that this will be the first time a lot of these players share the court vs an outside opponent. The Bulldogs are supposed to be a middle-of-the-pack Big East team with some experienced veterans

At yesterday’s media availability, Underwood stated “I need to see the first speed bump. What is it? You get to a point where I am right now standing here today. Our offense was good, so does that mean our defense was bad?”

Pregame Notes

As expected, freshman big man Tomislav Ivisic will not participate in Sunday’s scrimmage. With the season less than a month away, Ivisic has yet to receive official clearance from the NCAA. That is certainly frustrating given the role Ivisic should play for this team. Illinois basketball could really use the size and versatility of the Croatian big man in their starting lineup. However, this serves as a strong opportunity for fellow freshman big man, Morez Johnson Jr, to get his feet wet. Also, Notre Dame transfer, Carey Booth, will get some valuable reps.

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