The wait is over. Illinois fans finally know what the path to March looks like, as the Big Ten schedule was released Thursday, completing the 2025-26 slate after the non-conference lineup was revealed in August.
Expectations are set high yet again in Champaign. The Illini return three starters from last year’s 22-win team that reached the NCAA Tournament’s second round and finished No. 17 in KenPom, adding to an Underwood tenure that has produced six straight 20-win seasons, five consecutive NCAA tournament
appearances and more Big Ten wins than any other team during that time.
For the fourth consecutive year, Illinois begins league play on the road, this time against Ohio State on Dec. 9, before welcoming Nebraska to State Farm Center only four days later for the first taste of Big Ten action for home fans.
The new year begins with a special stage: a Jan. 3 matchup against Penn State at Philadelphia’s Palestra, the historical arena where Illinois last played in 2003. Once they head back to Champaign, they will take on Rutgers on Jan. 8, hoping to extend their eight-game home winning record against the Scarlet Knights, before facing Minnesota and Maryland at State Farm Center, two matchups that usually create buzz in Champaign.
In February, the Illini travel west to USC on Feb. 18 and UCLA on Feb. 21. Illinois hasn’t played at USC since 1975 and hasn’t been inside Pauley Pavilion since 1997, so fans should keep an eye out for those dates on their calendars.
Champaign will get its share of big nights, too: Washington comes Jan. 29, while Oregon arrives March 3 for Senior Night, the Ducks’ first-ever trip to Illinois and a night that always means plenty at State Farm.
By then, the Illini will already be familiar with plenty of big-time competition. Northwestern comes to town on Feb. 4, giving the Illini a chance to extend their nine-game home win streak against the Wildcats. Michigan comes to Champaign on Feb. 27, following 9 straight losses at State Farm Center.
The regular season ends in Maryland on March 8 before shifting to Chicago for the Big Ten Tournament on March 10 at the United Center.
The home schedule brings plenty of promise at State Farm, concluding with a Senior Night that could act as a celebration of the whole Underwood era.
On the flip side, the road brings challenges that could define the season. Trips to West Lafayette, East Lansing and the West Coast will test the Illini in some of college basketball’s most intimidating settings, giving fans the chance to see how this group stacks up away from home.
Every season’s schedule sets the stage, and this one has it all: rivalry energy, new opponents and hostile arenas. What makes it even more exciting is the chance to see how Illinois’ new faces stack up under the lights, from early conference battles at home to big tests on the road. Fans won’t have to wait long to find out what this group is made of.
