Former Iowa coach Fran McCaffery returns to Champaign as his Penn Quakers seek revenge for a lopsided tournament loss against Brad Underwood’s retooled, NBA-caliber Illini roster.
As Illinois continues to put together their non-conference schedule next season, it appears a familiar face will be roaming the opposite side lines. The Penn Quakers, led by head coach Fran McCaffery will be visiting the State Farm Center on November 5th, 2026.
The two teams are quite familiar with each other as they met on one of the biggest stages in the NCAA tournament. The No. 3 seed Illini defeated No. 14 seed Penn 105-70 in the opening round. David Mirkovic's 29 points and 17 rebounds were the highlight of the night but quite simply Illinois was a bit too big, too fast, and too athletic for Penn. The Quakers' season was cut short and the Illini eventually made a run all the way to the Final Four before finally losing to the UConn Huskies.
Leading up to the game, much was made about the relationship between Illinois head coach Brad Underwood and McCaffery. McCaffery had been the coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes for 15 seasons, 12 of them as head coach and accumulated a 297-207 record overall and 143-141 record in the Big Ten.
The relationship between the two coaches adds a bit of intrigue into what could otherwise be looked as a "buy" game.
Both teams will be showcasing brand new lineups in their new matchup. Illinois lost their starting backcourt, both to the NBA. Keaton Wagler was drafted No. 5 overall to the Los Angeles Clippers and Kylan Boswell has signed a two-way contract with the Charlotte Hornets.
Penn's most productive offensive player, Ethan Roberts, announced a transfer to Notre Dame which left coach McCaffery without his offensive star. and in turn Penn was able to get Sir Mohammed from the Irish in an unofficial swap of players between the two programs.
Penn should still be a relatively potent threat however as they will return TJ Powers, who as a junior averaged 16 points per game. Powers will be counted on to produce and be one of the most versatile players in the Ivy League. Powers and Mohammed played together in the high school circuits and may have some familiarity with one another. Penn also added Dorian Glogovac who put up 23 points per game in division 3.
The Illini will once again have one of the most daunting non-conference schedules in the country as names like UConn, Duke, and North Carolina are already scheduled. Underwood has routinely talked about making his non-conference schedule as tough as possible in order to better prepare the team for upcoming battles in the Big Ten and also March. Last year's tough schedule paid off as the team had its' most successful postseason in decades. It should be noted, there are still two more openings to be filled for a full schedule.
When Penn comes to the State Farm Center in early November, it will be more than just a random early season matchup. It will be the latest chapter in a storied rivalry between two coaches who compete aggressively on the court, but remain very close friends off.
