After a massive win over a top-15 program, the Illinois basketball team has a nice bridge game to the rest of their tough non-conference schedule.
The Illini will take on Colgate on Friday night. The Raiders are 1-2 this season and only fell to Michigan State in East Lansing by 11 points.
Illinois can’t sleep on Colgate. If we are looking ahead and let this game slip away, there is no putting the toothpaste back in the tube against Colgate.
Here is the Illinois basketball vs Colgate how to watch, series history, and players to watch
- Illinois basketball vs Colgate – How to watch
The Illinois basketball team heads into the fourth game of the season against Colgate. You can catch this game on Big Ten+ on Friday, November 14, at 8:00 p.m. CT/9:00 p.m. ET.
- Illinois basketball vs Colgate – Series history
There is actually a series history with Colgate. Unlike Illinois’ matchup with Texas Tech, the Illini have played Colgate five times in the history of the program.
Illinois is currently 5-0 all-time vs Colgate. The last game came in 2023 when the Illini took down Colgate, 74-57. The first ever matchup between the two programs came back in 1948 when Illinois won the game 77-54. They apparently had back-to-back games that season, and Illinois won the second game the next day, 85-55.
- Illinois basketball vs Colgate – Players to watch
Illinois is playing another relatively small team on Friday night. Colgate’s size has talent, as their leading scorer is Sam Wright, who stands at 6-foot-9. He is a nice forward who can rebound effectively, but he can also stretch the floor, taking 4.7 three-pointers per contest this season.
I am curious how effective Wrigth can be with someone like Zvonimir Ivisic and his wingspan guarding him. That will be a matchup to watch. Another great matchup will be Colgate guard Jalen Cox against Kylan Boswell.
Cox is a quick guard with tremendous ball skills. He creates for his teammates, averaging 6.0 assists per game, but he is more than a one-trick pony. Cox can also drive the lane and is aggressive on the boards.
Illinois, on the other hand, will be able to throw plenty of weapons at Colgate. I think we are going to have an overwhelming amount of firepower. I don’t see Colgate slowing down Andrej Stojakovic. He should be able to tear up the wing.
Another player to watch will be Mihailo Petrovic. He hasn’t played this season, and this game will be a perfect introduction to the Illinois roster.