How to Watch No. 16 Illinois at No. 19 Iowa: TV, Tip-Off Time, More

The Illini (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) seem to finally be keeping their eye on the ball, but can they hold down the rising Hawkeyes (12-3, 2-2) on their home floor?

Jan 8, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) watched Rutgers Scarlet Knights guard Tariq Francis (0) with the ball during the first half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

It's time for No. 16 Illinois (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) to put its seemingly new and improved defense to the test against No. 19 Iowa on its home floor Sunday at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City (11 a.m. CT, FOX).

The Illini have been holding it down – in every sense – since allowing Nebraska to go off for 83 points and steal a win at the State Farm Center on Dec. 13. Over the next four games, Illinois' defense has been on lockdown, holding opponents to an average of 55.8 points and (not coincidentally) rattling off a four-game win streak.

Sunday will be a special challenge against dynamic guard Bennett Stirtz (18.0 points per game) and an array of shooters who have helped Iowa crack the 80-point plateau eight times and defend its home court on all nine tries this season. First-year Hawkeyes coach Ben McCollum is showing that his brand of hoops of travels well, and across divisions, though the Illini represent one of his biggest tests since he arrived in Iowa City.

Here’s more information on Illinois' conference road clash with Iowa:

How to watch Illinois Fighting Illini vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

Headed into a top-20 battle.

🆚 Iowa
⏰ 11 a.m. CT
📍Iowa City, Iowa
📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/WgBZwyOD9i

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) January 10, 2026

• Who: Illinois Fighting Illini (12-3, 3-1 Big Ten) vs. Iowa Hawkeyes (12-3, 2-2)
• What: Big Ten matchup
• When: Sunday, Jan. 11 at 11 a.m. CT
• Where: Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Iowa City, Iowa
• TV/streaming: FOX
• Radio/audio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network (Champaign: WDWS 93.9 FM or 1400 AM; Chicago: WLS 890 AM); Fighting Illini Productions; Varsity Network App
• Last week: Illinois hammered Rutgers 81-55 at home on Thursday to run its current winning streak to four. Iowa most recently stumbled in a 70-67 loss at Minnesota on Tuesday, but the Hawkeyes came into that matchup having won four straight and remain undefeated at home (9-0) so far in 2025-26.
• Series history: The Illini hold the advantage in the all-time series at 94-77, and they have taken four in a row off the Hawkeyes – including most recently in a 106-94 shootout in the second round of last year's Big Ten Tournament, on March 13, 2025, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis.

What to know about Iowa

Stirtz 3 alert 🔥

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/XUuGfGJqVi

— Iowa Men’s Basketball (@IowaHoops) January 7, 2026

Stirtz aside, the Hawkeyes have seven players on the roster who have played in all 15 games and are averaging between 6.1 and 9.3 points. If that doesn't sound especially intimidating, keep in mind that three of them – Tavion Banks, Alvaro Folgueiras and Cooper Koch – connect from three-point range at a rate of at least 44.4 percent. (And that doesn't include bench sharpshooter Brenden Hausen, who averages just 4.8 points but is 16-for-42 (38.1 percent) from beyond the arc on the season.

Conversely, whether Iowa can slow Illinois' offense and long-range bombing on the other end seems a more open-ended question. The Hawkeyes did manage to play current No. 4 Iowa State close and stifle the Cyclones' offense a bit in a 66-62 loss in Ames last month, but Tuesday's flat showing in a loss at Minnesota suggests a thin margin for error for McCollum's crew. Check out the Illinois on SI First Look at Iowa for more details.