Illinois basketball adds layer of difficulty to non-conference gauntlet

I have always loved Brad Underwood’s mentality when it comes to the Illinois basketball non-conference.

Underwood hasn’t shied away from playing tough teams. Iron sharpens iron, and the Illini have held true to that saying. In the last three seasons alone, Illinois has played 10 non-conference ranked opponents. Elite Eight, Round of 32, and Final Four were the results.

Illinois isn’t letting up for the 2026-27 campaign, either. Underwood is full steam ahead when it comes to playing a tough non-conference. On Friday, the Illinois basketball social media account released a graphic with the entire non-conference schedule for the upcoming season.

Just the exhibition games alone are solid. We aren’t playing some DII program. Illinois takes on Cincinnati and Baylor in two of the three exhibition games.

ESPN released a predicted top 25 at the beginning of August. Illinois was No. 3 in the country. The first tough matchup is three games in against Texas Tech. They aren’t projected to be ranked, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are by game three. The Red Raiders have finished the last two seasons in the AP Top 25, and they have a nice roster.

A week later, Illinois has Duke on the schedule. The Blue Devils are the projected No. 2 team in the country. Three weeks later, the Illini battle UConn. The Huskies are the projected No. 5 team in the nation. The Braggin’ Rights game is a couple of weeks after the UConn tilt. The Tigers are eyed as the No. 18 team in the country.

The last big non-conference battle for Illinois is in late January. We play North Carolina. They are the projected No. 27 team in the country, but we know how much money they put into that program. The Tar Heels will have talent.

There is a legitimate chance Illinois plays five ranked non-conference opponents during the 2026-27 campaign. That is a big number.

While the non-conference schedule is tough, Illinois basketball added an extra layer to make it more difficult

It is fun playing tough opponents in the non-conference. You don’t usually get to see those matchups unless it is the NCAA tournament. Illinois isn’t making these games any easier, either.

There is one trend with all of the tough non-conference games I mentioned above.

None are at home.

Exactly zero of those non-conference games are in Champaign. Texas Tech is in Lubbock, Duke is in Durham, Missouri is in St. Louis, and North Carolina is in Nashville. The only game that Illinois will have any home court advantage will be against UConn. That game is in Chicago.

Still, there are zero games where the majority of fans can just roll out of bed and go to the game. There are multiple hours of travel. The players don’t get to go through their normal home game routines, which adds a layer of difficulty to it all.

At the end of the day, I do kind of like that none of the tough games are at home. In the NCAA tournament, you aren’t playing games at home. Illinois would be going up against these tough teams in other locations. This non-conference will get the Illini prepared for the ultimate goal: a national championship.

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