Big Ten Sets Illinois' 20-Game 2026-27 Slate as Illini Face 10 NCAA Tournament Teams
Updated
Updated · Fighting Illini · Sep 16
Big Ten Sets Illinois' 20-Game 2026-27 Slate as Illini Face 10 NCAA Tournament Teams
3 articles · Updated · Fighting Illini · Sep 16
Summary
Illinois' 2026-27 schedule is now complete after the Big Ten unveiled a 20-game conference slate, with the Illini opening league play Dec. 8 at Minnesota and finishing March 6 against Iowa.
Three opponents—Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin—will be played twice, while Illinois gets single home dates with UCLA, USC, Michigan State and Ohio State and road-only trips to Michigan, Oregon and Washington.
Ten conference games come against teams that reached the 2026 NCAA Tournament, including a Feb. 9 visit to defending Big Ten and NCAA champion Michigan and a Feb. 12 trip to Purdue.
The release lands as Illinois enters the season with preseason top-five expectations after a 28-9 Final Four run, returning five rotation players and adding a top-15 recruiting class plus a transfer.