Illinois Basketball: Illini set to play in the Jimmy V Classic

The Illinois basketball team is moving forward with its plans to compete in the Jimmy V Classic.

Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports announced via Twitter the Fighting Illini will play against Baylor in the Jimmy V Classic, which will be taking place in Indianapolis on December 2.

Additionally, Rothstein reports the Jimmy V Classic will also include the matchup of Tennessee vs. Gonzaga.

This will be a massive opportunity for the Illini as Baylor has been considered one of the top teams in the nation by multiple analysts.

Andy Katz of the Big Ten Network has the Bears ranked No. 2 in the nation in his preseason rankings.  ESPN’s Dick Vitale has them ranked No. 3 while referring to them as a “legitimate national championship contender.”

This matchup could very well be a contest between two of the nation’s top-5 teams, as Katz has the Illini ranked No. 4 in his preseason rankings.

The Baylor match-up is the third event that has been announced to be played on the Illini’s schedule, excluding conference play.  They are additionally set to host a four-team MTE in Champaign November 25-27.

Illinois is also set to travel to Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, NC to face the Duke Blue Devils in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.  This contest has the potential to be another match-up of two ranked teams as the Blue Devils are ranked No. 11 in Katz’s preseason rankings.

The Illini’s 2020-21 schedule just got even more exciting with the announcement of the Jimmy V Classic.  This tough pre-conference slate of games will be a solid indication of whether or not Illinois can contend with the big dogs.