After finishing seventh in the Big Ten and earning a 22-13 overall record, the Illinois Fighting Illini are looking to boost their popularity and success during the upcoming college basketball season.
One way to do that is to schedule a game against one of the most dominant programs from the last decade. Recently, college basketball insider Jon Rothstein shared that Illinois had done just that, scheduling a non-conference matchup with the UConn Huskies.
Over the last seven years, since head coach Dan Hurley took over the program, the Huskies have already secured two National Championships (2023 & 2024). Not to mention, Hurley has led UConn to a 165-69 overall record.
Meanwhile, Illinois head coach Brad Underwood has led the Fighting Illini to just one appearance in the Elite Eight, where they lost to none other than UConn, and a 165-101 overall record since 2017.
To put it lightly, Illinois has scheduled an extremely difficult opponent for the upcoming season, and the two teams will reportedly play at Madison Square Garden, where the Huskies hold a 6-2 record over the last two years.
When and where will Illinois play UConn?
- Date: Nov. 28, 2025 (Black Friday)
- Time: TBD
- Location: Madison Square Garden
- Series record: 3-1
NEWS: UConn and Illinois are finalizing an agreement to meet on November 28th --- Black Friday --- at MSG, according to multiple sources.https://t.co/ofUdbISCWU
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 2, 2025
Throughout the two teams' brief shared history, UConn has walked away with three victories, losing to Illinois just once. The Fighting Illini secured a win in their first-ever game against the Huskies, winning 49-23 on Dec. 21, 1938.
The most recent game between the two was the Elite Eight matchup in 2024, when the Huskies defeated Illinois 77-52 before moving on to win the national title.
While a time has yet to be announced for the non-conference game between Illinois and UConn, the matchup will be one for the Fighting Illini's history books if they can pull off the victory.