How to Watch, Preview: No. 2 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 17 Illinois Fighting Illini
The No. 2 ranked Texas Longhorns square off against the No. 17th ranked Illinois Fighting Illini inside Madison Square Garden. The Matchup is a part of the Jimmy V Classic with the second game of the doubleheader being the Iowa Hawkeyes vs No. 15th-ranked Duke Blue Devils.
Illinois will be the third true test the Longhorns have faced so far this college basketball season. Texas recently out-dueled No. 21 Creighton stifling them on the defensive end winning 72-67. The Longhorns enter this top 20 ranked matchup at 6-0 as they look to knock off another power conference opponent.
Senior guard Marcus Carr has improved a lot since last season. He leads the Longhorns in scoring at 15.5 points per game. Last Thursday in the win over Creighton Carr once again helped fuel the offense by leading Texas with 19 points. Sophomore guard Tyrese Hunter has also been a major catalyst having another big performance against the Blue Jays with 15 points.
The No. 2 ranking is the highest ranking the program has received in the top 25 since the Longhorns were ranked No. 1 in the 2009-10 season under coach Rick Barnes. After Illinois, Texas faces Stanford and Tennessee as their remaining non-conference power five opponents.
The Fighting Illini of Illinois entered the game at 6-2 after dropping their first Big 10 contest to No. 13 Maryland 71-66 last Friday. Illinois has also faced a gauntlet non-conference schedule so far this season. The Illini have squared off against the likes of UCLA, Virginia, Syracuse, and now Texas.
Illinois is led by a very familiar face to Longhorn fans and Texas head coach Chris Beard. Senior Guard Terrence Shannon Jr. leads the team with 19.8 points per game and will be looking to make a statement against his former coach since transferring from Texas Tech. The Illini are a much younger squad than the Longhorns and Shannon Jr. will try to provide that veteran experience inside of Madison Square Garden.
The Longhorns should expect a major fight on Tuesday evening against Illinois. It also presents another challenge as Texas will be facing its first major test away from the Moody Center. Beard will be looking for his first-ranked win away from Austin. Last season Texas went 0-6 against ranked opponents away from their home court.
Here is how to watch, listen and stream the Longhorns' matchup against the Illinois Fighting Illini Tuesday evening.
Game Information: Texas Longhorns vs. Illinois Fighting Illini
Date/Time: Tuesday, December 6th at 4 p.m. CT
Where: Madison Square Garden
Betting Via SI Sportsbook: Texas -2.5
Over/Under: 140.5
Moneyline: Texas -140, Illinois +120
TV/Streaming: ESPN
Radio: Longhorn IMG Radio Network/104.9 The Horn (Austin Flagship); Sirius XM channel 199 or 201 and SXM App channel 953.
You can follow Adam Glick on Twitter @adamglick39
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