Illinois Basketball: Illini opponent set for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge

The women’s Illinois basketball team has their Big Ten/ACC Challenge game set for November 30 against Pittsburgh

Just like the men’s schedule, the women’s college basketball schedule is coming together nicely. Shauna Green, who took over for Nancy Fahey after the 2021-22 season concluded, will see her Illini squad travel to Pittsburgh for an early-season tilt against the Panthers out of the ACC.

Illinois finished the 2021-22 campaign with a 7-20 overall record and a 1-13 finish in Big Ten play, which prompted Fahey’s firing. Green, who comes to the Illini from Dayton, has a consistent pattern of winning. In six seasons with the Flyers, Green won five Atlantic 10 titles and finished 26-6 last season.

"“Head coach Shauna Green and the University of Illinois women’s basketball team will travel to face Pitt in the 2022 ACC/Big Ten Women’s Basketball Challenge,” the release stated. “The matchups were jointly announced Monday (July 11) by Big Ten and Atlantic Coast Conferences.The Illinois-Pitt matchup, slated for Wednesday, Nov. 30, will mark the first in the series between the Fighting Illini and the Panthers. Green, in her first year at the helm of the Illinois program, captured three wins over ACC opponents during her tenure at Dayton, leading the Flyers to neutral-site victories over Clemson and Virginia Tech, and a home win over Virginia.”"

How has Illinois basketball done in previous Big Ten/ACC Challenge games?

Illinois is 4-10 since the annual crossover game was created in 2007. The last time Illinois won a Big Ten/ACC Challenge game was in 2014, as they hosted Virginia at State Farm Center. The Illini routed Virginia 86-63 and finished the season a game below .500 at 15-16.

While the team is young, they do return some veteran pieces in junior Kendall Bostic, senior Jada Peebles, and two sophomores in Jayla Oden and Adalia Mckenzie, to name a few.

Illinois looks to end a 20-year NCAA Tournament drought, as their last appearance came under Thresa Grentz in 2002. Since that year, Illinois has appeared in several NWITs, the last coming in 2012.