Brad Underwood didn’t exactly tiptoe into the 2026-27 non-conference slate. He built it like a stress test.
Illinois is set to face four marquee opponents before Big Ten play settles in, and the lineup is loaded with name-brand programs, tough road environments and a few familiar faces. It’s the kind of schedule that tells you a lot about where a team stands before the calendar flips to conference grind.
The first major hurdle comes Nov. 10 at Texas Tech, where the Illini will finish the second leg of a home-and-home with the Red Raiders. Illinois handled Texas Tech 81-77 last season in Champaign, but that game came with a monster performance from JT Toppin, who scored 35 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Toppin was an All-American in 2026 and, with the NCAA’s new 5-for-5 rule, appeared to have another season available. His ACL tear in February leaves his November status uncertain.
Illinois will also see a familiar name in Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who spent two seasons in Champaign and was part of the Illini’s Elite Eight team in 2024 before moving on to Texas Tech.
A week later, on Nov. 17, Illinois heads to Duke for another heavyweight matchup.
The Blue Devils are coming off a 35-3 season that ended with ACC regular-season and tournament titles before a loss to UConn in the Elite Eight. ESPN’s latest preseason top-25 has Duke at No. 2, and the roster has been reshaped in a few key spots.
One of the biggest additions is former Wisconsin guard John Blackwell, a player Illinois was reportedly chasing hard. Blackwell was a problem for the Illini last season, averaging 27.5 points across two games and helping Wisconsin win both.
The last meeting between Illinois and Duke was a rough one for the Illini, as Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel powered a 110-67 Blue Devils win at Madison Square Garden in 2025. This time, the setting shifts to Cameron Indoor Stadium, which brings its own kind of pressure.
On Dec. 4, Illinois gets another shot at UConn, this time at the United Center in Chicago.
The Huskies have been a thorn in the Illini’s side since that Elite Eight meeting in 2024, when UConn opened the second half with a 30-0 burst and never looked back. Last season, the Huskies beat Illinois twice, including in the Final Four to end the Illini’s deepest postseason run since 2005.
UConn has lost Alex Karaban and Tarris Reed Jr. to the NBA, but the Huskies still bring back Silas Demary Jr. and Braylon Mullins, both of whom scored more than 10 points per game last season. ESPN’s most recent preseason top-25 has UConn at No.
The last of the group lands Jan. 30 in Nashville, where Illinois will meet North Carolina at Bridgestone Arena. It’s the first time the Illini have played the Tar Heels since 2010, and it comes with a new face on the UNC sideline.
North Carolina hired Michael Malone as its head coach, bringing in a coach with 23 years of NBA experience and a 2023 title with the Denver Nuggets. The Tar Heels remain one of the sport’s giants, with 21 Final Four appearances and more than 2,400 wins, and this roster will feature a wave of new talent through the recruiting and transfer portal routes.
Illinois already has one recent memory in that building, too: last season’s 75-62 win over Tennessee, the game that produced the memorable Tomislav Ivisic clip.
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Illinois May Have Found The O-Line Anchor It Desperately Needed
Illinois went into the offseason looking for stability in the middle of its offensive line, and Jake Renfro arrives with exactly the kind of rsum that can change a room. The seventh-year senior center transferred in after stops at Cincinnati and Wisconsin, where he showed he could play at a high level while also working through injuries. For a team trying to build something sturdier up front, bringing in a veteran center with that background is a meaningful move.
Renfros profile got a little brighter this week with his place on a national watch list, a sign that he is on the radar as one of the better centers in college football. For Illinois, the real story is simpler and more important: if he can stay healthy, he has a chance to give the line the kind of anchor it has been searching for, and his presence could shape how far the offense can go this season. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Defense Is Taking A New Turn Fans Will Notice Fast
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For Illinois, the change is about more than terminology after the defense had some issues in previous seasons under Aaron Henry. The new look also opens the door for players such as Matthew Bailey, Xavier Scott, Joe Barna and Carter Janki to carve out bigger roles, and the early signs suggest fans should notice the shift quickly once the season gets going. [Read more 🡒]
Brad Underwood Keeps Proving Illinois Made One Of The Big Tens Best Bets
Brad Underwoods run at Illinois keeps looking better in the context of the Big Ten coaching carousel that began in 2016. In a league where some schools have cycled through promising names and regrettable misses, Underwood has helped make the Illini look like one of the safest bets on the board, joining Dusty May and Fred Hoiberg near the top of the conferences coaching-hire ledger based on records and postseason results.
The contrast across the league is part of what sharpens Underwoods standing. While a handful of Big Ten programs have dealt with losing records, tournament droughts and broader struggles under recent hires such as Archie Miller, Ben Johnson and Juwan Howard, Illinois has enjoyed stability and success that has kept Underwood in the conversation among the conferences best. For a program that wanted proof it had made the right choice, the early returns have been hard to argue with. [Read more 🡒]