Illinois basketball all-time record against current SEC programs

The SEC isn't nearly the thorn in the side of fans on the basketball side of things, so I wanted to see how the Illinois basketball program has done against SEC teams.

Illinois v Tennessee
Illinois v Tennessee | Eakin Howard/GettyImages
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Illinois basketball vs. Kentucky Wildcats

  • 4-11 overall

One team Illinois doesn’t have a great history with is the Kentucky Wildcats. Throughout time, the Wildcats have gotten the best of the Orange and Blue.

In 15 matchups, the Illini are just 4-11 against Kentucky, which includes a three-game losing streak. The one caveat is that the two teams haven’t played since 1984.

Illinois kept that 1984 contest close, though. Kentucky squeaked by with a 54-51 win over the Illini. Only five out of the 15 games the two teams have played have been on Illinois’ home court.

Illinois basketball vs. LSU Tigers

  • 2-0 overall

The scores have been wild when LSU and Illinois face off. It has only happened two times in the history of college basketball, and Illinois has emerged victorious in both contests.

1990 was the last time Illinois played the Tigers, and we came out with a 102-96 win. A highlight of that game was LSU big man Shaquille O’Neal dropping 28 points, 12 rebounds, seven blocks, two assists, and one steal in the loss.

In the two games Illinois played against LSU, we averaged 114.5 points per game. On top of that, we gave up an average of 98 points per game.

Illinois basketball vs. Mississippi State Bulldogs

  • 0-0 overall

Believe it or not, Illinois has never played Mississippi State in men’s basketball.

Schedule