Illinois Basketball vs the UCONN Huskies: How to watch the MSG showdown

Illinois basketball will face the UConn Huskies on Black Friday inside Madison Square Garden for a highly anticipated non-conference showdown. It is the only ranked vs. ranked matchup of the day. UConn sits at No. 5, and Illinois sits at No. 13 in the latest AP Top 25 poll.

Date: Friday, November 28th
Time: 11:30 a.m. CST
Channel: FOX
KenPom Line: UConn -2

The Illini are 1-3 all-time against the Huskies, with their lone win coming all the way back in 1938. Illinois won that game at Huff Hall Gym by a score of 49-23. Their most recent meeting came in the 2024 Elite Eight. In that matchup, UConn cruised to a 77-52 victory on its way to a second straight national championship.

Illinois should match up better with UConn than it did in 2024, when the Huskies fielded one of the greatest teams in college basketball history. UConn is currently ranked No. 13 on KenPom and sits at 5-1 on the season, with a loss to Arizona and a high-major win over BYU.

Both Illinois and UConn have dealt with injuries this year. However, both are slowly returning to full strength for Friday’s ranked matchup. In a recent interview, UConn head coach Dan Hurley confirmed that all 15 players practiced this week. However, both Tarris Reed and Braylon Mullins will be notable game-time decisions. For Illinois basketball, the entire roster besides Ty Rodgers has played in the last two games and should be available on Friday.

The Huskies will likely enter as a slight favorite and are currently projected to come away with the win. It will be an uphill battle for Illinois basketball inside what will likely be a pro-UConn Madison Square Garden crowd.

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