Head coach Shauna Green is building something special in Champaign and will continue to elevate the Illinois basketball program in 2026-27.
The Illini, who are coming off a stellar 22-12 campaign, will look to take a big step in their development this season. They are retaining over 90% of their roster from the 2025-26 campaign and have added quality players from the transfer portal, like five-star Divine Bourrage.
The Orange and Blue are poised to have a big season, and as a way to showcase their program, the Illini will head to the Bahamas in November for a tropical Thanksgiving weekend of games.
The first piece of our schedule is here!
— Illinois Women's Basketball (@IlliniWBB) September 1, 2026
We'll play two games in the Bahamas over Thanksgiving ✈️🏝️😎 pic.twitter.com/m4vP4z3ooP
This November, Illinois will take part in the Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship for the first time in program history. They will take on the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Saint Joseph's Hawks.
Illinois has a combined 4-7 lifetime record against Marquette and Saint Joseph's, with their last meetings coming in 2024 and 1989, respectively. They will look to make a statement against two non-conference opponents who have been through a lot this offseason.
Illinois basketball will have the best of both worlds during their tropical trip
It will be an interesting tournament, to say the least, as the Illini will face two teams that had impressive seasons a year ago.
Saint Joseph's is coming off of their fourth consecutive 20+ win season, finishing their 2025-26 campaign with a 20-11 record. They will look to continue their success in 2026, especially after adding key transfers Maddy Potts and Deja Evans to the program.
Marquette, on the other hand, had a more difficult offseason than both Illinois and Saint Joseph's, losing seven players to graduation and four to the transfer portal. Head coach Cara Consuegra will look to get Marquette back to where they were a year ago, when they averaged 68 points per game while giving up 63.
If Illinois wants to leave the Bahamas with two wins, they will need to be elite on defense, especially against a Marquette team that has a tall unit from top to bottom.
The offense shouldn't be a problem for the Illini, especially with the addition of Bourrage to the roster. But when facing a much taller team like Marquette and a Saint Joseph's squad that gave up only 58 points per game last season, they will need to limit as many chances as possible for their opponents.
If Illinois can control the pace of the game and capitalize on the opportunities given, then this will become a trip that they can be very thankful for.
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