Big Ten Roundup (Aug. 19): Illinois to Host Kansas in Charity Exhibition, Purdue CB No Longer with Team

Illinois and coach Brad Underwood announced that they are going to host coach Bill Self and the Kansas Jayhawks for a charity exhibition game this October in order to support those suffering from the wildfires in Maui. In transfer portal news, Purdue and coach Ryan Walters lost cornerback Jamari Brown just weeks before the start of the 2023 season.

For more than a week, the people of Maui have experienced the worst wildfire in the United States in more than 100 years. 

The wildfire that started in Hawai'i on Aug. 8 has killed at least 111 people, according to CNN, and thousands more are unaccounted for and missing at this time. It's a tragedy and natural disaster that is far more important than any sport. 

For their part, Illinois and Kansas are doing what they can to help the people of Maui by hosting a charity exhibition game on Oct. 29 at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Ill. 

All money raised from the game will be donated to the Hawai’i Community Foundation Maui Strong Fund.

In less important news, Purdue cornerback Jamari Brown has left the team and entered the transfer portal. 

Here's everything you to know in today's Big Ten Roundup:

Illinois, Kansas Schedule Charity Exhibition

No matter what any college basketball fan thinks of either Illinois coach Brad Underwood or Kansas coach Bill Self, this video, and the gesture the teams are making, is a good thing. 

Caught up with an old friend today 🤳

To contribute to the ongoing relief efforts in Maui, Illinois and Kansas will play a charity exhibition game October 29 at State Farm Center.#Illini | #HTTO | #EveryDayGuys pic.twitter.com/HrGeKPrGsW

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) August 18, 2023

Self coached Illinois from 2000-03, before famously leaving for Kansas, where he has been the men's basketball coach ever since. With him making his highly anticipated return to Champaign on Oct. 29, the game figures to be an intense atmosphere and raise significant money for the victims of the Maui wildfires. 

"It is heartbreaking to see the loss of life and devastation from the fires that have ravaged Lahaina," Underwood said in a statement. "The Maui Invitational is an integral part of college basketball, and we are thinking of everyone on the island of Maui who have felt the impact of this tragedy. Bill and I talked immediately about how we could come together to help, and turning our closed scrimmage into a charity exhibition is a way we can use our sport to make an impact."

Seeing as it was originally to be a closed scrimmage, the charity exhibition against Kansas will not be a part of the season ticket package for Illinois fans. However, Illinois season ticket holders will get the chance to purchase tickets to the Kansas exhibition prior to it being made available to the public. 

The game will also be broadcast live on Big Ten Network at 5 p.m. CT on Oct. 29. 

To find and donate to the Maui Strong Fund that the exhibition is being played for, click on the link here. 

Jamari Brown Leaves Purdue for Transfer Portal

For a Purdue team that was already going to be thin at cornerback entering 2022, things just got a whole lot worse.

Sixth-year cornerback Jamari Brown entered the transfer portal, leaving coach Ryan Walters and the Boilermakers just two weeks before the start of the 2023 college football season. 

Source: #Purdue CB Jamari Brown has left the program.https://t.co/dctO4HBuSR pic.twitter.com/TiCTEDlXsQ

— Tom Dienhart (@TomDienhart1) August 18, 2023

Brown transferred to Purdue from Kentucky back in the 2021 offseason, and spent his last two seasons in West Lafayette. In 26 total games played, he recorded 47 tackles, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions.

With Brown now in the portal, Purdue only has six scholarship cornerbacks currently on its roster — Marquis Wilson, Zion Gunn, Markevious Brown, Braxton Myers, Salim Turner-Muhammad and Botros Alisandro. 

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