Illinois Basketball's Big Ten Schedule Released: Three Things You Need to Know

In less than seven weeks, Illinois basketball will officially tip off its 2025-26 season in a home contest against Jackson State on Nov. 3. And although Illinois’ non-conference schedule had already been finalized for a few weeks, it wasn’t until Thursday that the Big Ten released conference schedules for each of its squads.

Here are three big takeaways from Illinois’ slate:

The path has been laid out.

Be there when something special happens.
— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) September 18, 2025

What to know about Illinois’ Big Ten schedule

3. The Illini are headed to college basketball’s most historical venue

Illinois, which has played at its fair share of famed arenas, will face Penn State at the “Birthplace of College Basketball,” The Palestra.

The Cathedral of College Basketball awaits. Penn State vs. Illinois in the City of Brotherly Love.

Jan. 3 | The Palestra#WeAre pic.twitter.com/how5pUXgGK
— Penn State Men’s Basketball (@PennStateMBB) September 18, 2025

On Jan. 3, the Illini will travel to Philadelphia for a matchup against the Nittany Lions at The Palestra. First opened on Jan. 1, 1927, the hallowed venue has been around for nearly a century.

It has hosted the history-rich “Big 5” (Philadelphia-area schools: Villanova, Temple, LaSalle, Penn, St. Joseph’s and, recently, Drexel) round-robin tournament for decades, and remains the home floor for Penn.

Illini coach Brad Underwood and his squad will have an opportunity to create their own story within The Palestra’s celebrated canon while possibly adding another Big Ten win to their resume.

Illinois coach Brad Underwoo — Mar 17, 2024; Minneapolis, MN, USA; llinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood talks with media after defeating Wisconsin Badgers at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

2. Illinois’ slate is quite generous

Purdue, Michigan, UCLA, Oregon, Wisconsin and Michigan State. Those are likely the six best teams in the conference, if you remove Illinois from the mix. Somehow, the Illini avoid playing all six of them more than once during the regular season.

With 18 teams now in the Big Ten, each team has only three repeat matchups per year, and the Illini’s two-time foes in this campaign – Nebraska, Northwestern and Maryland – aren’t likely to be record killers.

1. The Illini’s toughest stretch is at the end of the season

To top it off, five of Illinois’ six toughest matchups come in the final eight games of Big Ten play. Aside from an outing with Purdue on Jan. 24, the Illini won’t take the court against any of those aforementioned stellar squads until February.

You may be thinking: Who cares? Why does it make a difference when they play whom? Well, with Underwood and his staff revamping the Illini roster yet again, this club will need time to mesh on both ends. No amount of practice reps can fully prepare a team for the season, let alone Big Ten play.

Still, Underwood built his typical non-conference schedule, which involves Illinois playing a plethora of formidable foes. By the time February comes around, the Illini should be operating at something close to their highest level, prepared to end their final stretch of conference play with a bang and, in their perfect world, be the hottest team in the country heading into postseason play.