Illinois Basketball: Jimmy V Classic matches Illini against Texas

Illinois basketball will travel to Madison Square Garden to take on the Texas Longhorns in the Jimmy V Classic.

The defending Big Ten regular-season champs won’t have an easy road to a defense of their title, but a tough non-conference slate will help prepare the Orange and Blue. The Illini enter the 2022-2023 season with a lot of promise, ushering in one of the best recruiting classes in the country at No. 6 overall.

Brad Underwood was also able to land two highly-touted transfers in Texas Tech’s Terrance Shannon Jr. and Baylor’s Matthew Mayer.

Summer will eventually turn to fall, which means that we are inching closer to the start of college basketball season. With that comes the announcement of several early-season non-conference games, and some of them could impact the NCAA tournament field come March 2023.

It was revealed Thursday morning that Illinois would face Texas as part of the Jimmy V Classic. The game will take place on December 6 as part of a one-night doubleheader that will see Duke face Iowa in the opposite tilt. Times will be announced at a later date, and both games are scheduled to air on ESPN.

This is the Illinois basketball team’s second Jimmy V Classic game since 2020.

Similar to two of the four teams competing, Illinois has Jimmy V Classic experience. In 2020, the Illini were upended by the eventual national champion Baylor Bears, who won 82-69 against a then-ranked No. 5 Illini.

Illinois’ other appearances came in 2014, where they fell to the Villanova Wildcats 73-59, and in 2003, when the Illini had no answers for the Providence Friars, losing 70-51.

The Illini are looking for another win at Madison Square Garden and to end their Jimmy V Classic losing streak in the process.