Illinois has spent the first week of its season making things look easy, and now the Illini are headed into a very different kind of test.
After back-to-back blowout wins over Fairleigh Dickinson and Penn, Illinois is 2-0 and averaging 116 points. The defense has looked sharper, too, after what the source describes as a late-season breakthrough last year.
Texas Tech is also unbeaten at 2-0, but the Red Raiders have done it in a much slower, more deliberate way, scoring 152 points total. That contrast is what makes Tuesday’s non-conference matchup so intriguing: Illinois sits No. 41 nationally in adjusted tempo, while Texas Tech is No. 316, per KenPom.
The Red Raiders’ offense has already featured a familiar face. Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, who played two seasons at Illinois from 2023-2025, is Texas Tech’s leading scorer right now. He poured in 25 points in a 76-58 win over Bethune-Cookman in the Red Raiders’ most recent game.
Texas Tech has plenty of other perimeter threats, too. Donovan Atwell was one of college basketball’s best three-point shooters last season, and Cruz Davis brings two-way impact.
Inside, the Red Raiders lean on Darrion Williams, a two-time All-Big 12 selection who returned to Texas Tech after spending last season at North Carolina State. Williams has gotten off to a slow start, and he’s doing it without JT Toppin alongside him in the frontcourt.
Toppin is recovering from an ACL injury, but his absence doesn’t erase what he did against Illinois a year ago. The first-team All-American had 35 points and 11 rebounds in Champaign in 2025, a performance that helped Texas Tech push the Illini in what was both teams’ first major early-season test.
That game had to get a little strange for Illinois to survive it. The Illini were forced to put 6-foot-2 Kylan Boswell on the 6-foot-9 Toppin, and Toppin still carved them up on 17-for-25 shooting.
He also added three steals and three blocks. Texas Tech, outside of Toppin, struggled to find much rhythm and shot 27.3 percent from deep.
Illinois, meanwhile, got a breakout night from Andrej Stojakovic, who delivered 23 points along with three steals and two blocks in his first big moment in an Illini uniform. Boswell scored 22, and three other Illinois players finished with 11, including Zvonimir Ivisic, who started that game. The Illini won it 81-77.
Tuesday’s rematch is set for the United Supermarkets Arena in Lubbock, Texas, at 7 p.m. CT.
The game will air on Peacock/NBCSN. Local radio coverage will be available on Busey Bank Illini Sports Network affiliates, including WDWS 93.9 FM or 1400 AM in Champaign and WLS 890 AM in Chicago, with streaming also available through Fighting Illini Productions and the Varsity Network App.
In Other News...
Illinois Just Turned One Schedule Choice Into A Program Statement
Illinois has locked in a new nonconference measuring stick, agreeing with Notre Dame on a two-year football series that starts next season and sends the Illini to South Bend in 2027 before bringing the Irish to Champaign in 2028. The deal was confirmed by both universities and gives Illinois a marquee opponent that will carry plenty of weight with fans, recruits and the College Football Playoff conversation alike.
The move also reshapes the schedule in a meaningful way, replacing games Illinois and Purdue had previously planned but later canceled. For a program trying to keep building credibility beyond the Big Ten grind, adding Notre Dame is more than a scheduling tweak. It is a clear sign that Illinois wants its calendar to reflect bigger ambitions, even if the full impact of the swap will not be felt until those two seasons arrive. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Hot Streak Faces Its Biggest Test Yet In Los Angeles
Illinois heads to Los Angeles riding a four-game winning streak, but the next stop is a far different kind of challenge. The Illini are 6-3 and suddenly have to measure themselves against No. 8 UCLA, an undefeated team that has looked every bit like a top-10 program through the first part of the season.
Oddsmakers have already drawn a clear line, with Illinois sitting as a 10.5-point underdog. For a team trying to keep its surge going, this is the kind of road game that can say a lot about how real that hot streak is, and whether the Illini can carry it into one of the toughest environments on their schedule. [Read more 🡒]
Illinois Has Six NBA Draft Names And One Huge Roster Question
Illinois keeps showing up in NBA draft conversations, and ESPNs updated 2027 Big Board is another reminder of how much talent is packed into the programs pipeline. Six Fighting Illini players landed on the list, giving the roster a rare mix of size, skill and long-term pro intrigue. The evaluations point to a group with plenty of upside, from the Ivisic twins to Andrej Stojakovic, along with Stefan Vaaks, David Mirkovic and Quentin Coleman, each with traits that could move their stock in different directions over the next couple of seasons.
For Illinois, the bigger takeaway is not just the number of names, but the shape of the roster question those projections create. A team that can legitimately talk about multiple future draft picks also has to manage development, roles and how all of those pieces fit together on the floor. The talent is obvious enough to keep NBA scouts watching, but the real test will be whether the Illini can turn that depth of prospect value into a team that functions as more than a collection of future decisions. [Read more 🡒]