Illinois basketball gets its first live look of the season Friday night, and the exhibition matchup with UIS comes with a couple of things worth tracking right away.
The No. 23 Illini bring back more than 90% of last year’s roster after reaching the second round of the 2026 NCAA tournament, where they fell to Vanderbilt, 75-57. That run marked the program’s third NCAA tournament appearance in the last four seasons, and Shauna Green now gets a chance to see how her group looks in game action before the regular season opens against Detroit Mercy.
UIS, a Division II program from Springfield, Illinois, is first up in what will be the Prairie Stars’ first of two exhibition games this season. They finished 14-14 overall and 11-9 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference a year ago.
One of the biggest things to monitor is how Divine Bourrage fits into the rotation. The LSU transfer was a major offseason addition for Illinois, and while she saw limited action with the Tigers, the expectation is that she’ll play real minutes in a backcourt that can use the depth.
Bourrage brings plenty to the table: she can score at all three levels and defend on the perimeter, and at Davenport North High School she was known for doing plenty of damage off the ball. She joins a guard/wing group that already includes Aaliyah Guyton, Destiny Jackson, Jasmine Brown-Hagger, and Maddie Webber, and she may not start immediately.
Even so, she looks poised to become a key piece off the bench because of the versatility she adds.
The other name to watch is Webber, who looks set to keep her role as Illinois’ main scoring punch off the bench. In 34 games last season, the former Villanova guard averaged 10.8 points per game and ranked third on the team in scoring while knocking down 39.7% of her threes.
She gave Green exactly what a team needs from a reserve scorer: spacing, steady production, and a threat who can hurt defenses from deep or in other ways when the starters sit. As she enters her second season in Champaign, she brings veteran value and has already earned the kind of minutes she received in 2025-26.
In Other News...
Illinois Kept Winning But This Finish Raised A Bigger Question
Illinois had to grind for every inch Saturday, but it still found a way to leave College Park with a 20-17 win over Maryland. Ethan Moczulski finished it with a 26-yard field goal as time expired, a clean ending to a messy game that pushed the Illini to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in Big Ten play.
The result came against a Maryland team playing under interim coach Aazaar Abdul-Rahim for the first time after Michael Locksleys dismissal, and the Terps made Illinois work far longer than the standings might have suggested. For the Illini, the win was the important part, but the way they got there also left a familiar question hanging over a team trying to hold its place in the conference race. [Read more 🡒]
Two Illini Stepped Up When Bowl Hopes Needed Them Most
Illinois needed someone to seize the moment late against Maryland, and it got exactly that from a pair of players who gave the game its defining swings. Freshman Javari Barnett broke loose for a 64-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, a burst that helped keep the Illini in striking distance in a game that stayed tight all the way to the finish.
Matthew Bailey also made his presence felt on the defensive side, stacking up tackles for loss and forcing a fumble as Illinois fought through a tense fourth quarter. The 20-17 win pushed the Illini to five victories, leaving them one more step away from bowl eligibility and giving this team a little more breathing room as the season turns toward its final stretch. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Suddenly Has A Bigger Problem Before Its Season Opener
Illinois is already dealing with an early-season complication before the opener, as preseason All-American David Mirkovic will be sidelined after a setback tied to appendicitis and an appendix removal. Brad Underwood confirmed the absence but stopped short of offering any real timetable for when Mirkovic might be back, leaving one of the teams most important pieces in limbo as the season gets underway.
For Illinois, the good news is there is enough depth to absorb the loss in the short term, at least in the games immediately ahead. Still, losing a player of Mirkovics caliber this close to the start of the season changes the feel of the buildup, and the bigger question now is how long the Illini will have to manage without him. [Read more 🡒]