Breaking Down Illinois Basketball's Loaded Non-Conference Schedule

Illinois basketball has yet to release its non-conference schedule, but sources indicate it is complete. The Illini have played one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the country over the past few seasons, and that trend will continue in 2026-27.

Illinois ranked No. 12 nationally in strength of schedule last season, according to KenPom, after finishing No. 4 the year before. Brad Underwood has never been shy about scheduling marquee matchups, but he also makes sure to include several Quad 4 games.

Let's take a closer look at Illinois' non-conference schedule and predict the Illini's record in the 12 games before Big Ten play.

Non-Conference Schedule

vs. Fairleigh Dickinson — Monday, Nov. 2 (Opening Night)

vs. Penn — Thursday, Nov. 5

at Texas Tech — Tuesday, Nov. 10

vs. Sam Houston State — Friday, Nov. 13

at Duke — Tuesday, Nov. 17

vs. Eastern Illinois — Friday, Nov. 20

vs. Winthrop — Monday, Nov. 23

vs. Western Kentucky — Friday, Nov. 27

vs. UConn (United Center) — Friday, Dec. 4

vs. Missouri (Enterprise Center) — Sunday, Dec. 20

vs. Seattle — Tuesday, Dec. 29

vs. North Carolina (Bridgestone Arena) — Saturday, Jan. 30

The two toughest games on the schedule come in November when Illinois travels to Texas Tech and Duke. It remains uncertain whether David Mirkovic will be back from injury for those matchups, but both will be major tests regardless.

UConn, Missouri, and North Carolina round out the five marquee games on the non-conference schedule. Chicago, St. Louis, and Nashville are all great destinations for Illini Nation to travel to and support the team. All three are within driving distance for a large portion of the fan base, and each venue should have plenty of orange in the stands. Those games also present excellent opportunities for Illinois to strengthen its NCAA Tournament resume.

The other seven games are buy games and should result in comfortable wins for the Illini inside State Farm Center. It was rumored that Illinois was looking to schedule another marquee matchup on Black Friday, but multiple programs backed out. As a result, the Illini settled on hosting Western Kentucky.

Season ticket holders and Illini fans were hoping for another high-profile home game similar to last season's matchup against Texas Tech, but that ultimately did not come together.

Fairleigh Dickinson, Penn, Sam Houston State, Eastern Illinois, Winthrop, Western Kentucky, and Seattle should all be wins for Illinois. That gives the Illini seven expected victories while leaving five opportunities to earn Quad 1 wins before conference play.

My prediction is that Illinois finishes the non-conference slate with just one loss. The lone defeat comes at Cameron Indoor Stadium against Duke. The Blue Devils have one of the best home-court advantages in college basketball and should once again enter the season as a preseason top-five team following last season's Elite Eight loss to UConn.

I like Illinois to win at Texas Tech (assuming Toppan does not play), finally beat UConn in a near home environment at the United Center, and pick up neutral-site victories over Missouri and North Carolina. That would give the Illini an 11-1 non-conference record and likely have them ranked inside the top 10, if not the top five, for much of the season, provided they take care of business in Big Ten play.

The Big Ten is expected to release the conference schedule in September, giving us a clearer picture of Illinois' complete 2026-27 schedule.