Illinois to play UConn in Black Friday matchup at Madison Square Garden

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Illinois men’s basketball will take on perennial power UConn on Friday, Nov. 28, at Madison Square Garden in a featured non-conference game for both programs. The matchup marks Illinois’ fourth consecutive season playing at MSG and begins a two-game series that will continue in 2026-27 at the United Center in Chicago.

The teams last met in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, where UConn defeated Illinois in the Elite Eight before going on to win its second straight national title. The Huskies lead the all-time series 3-1.

Illinois has played 15 games at Madison Square Garden in its history, going 6-9 overall and 3-2 under head coach Brad Underwood. Recent victories include wins over ranked opponents such as Maryland (2019), Texas (2022), and Florida Atlantic (2023), while last season saw a loss to No. 3 Duke at the venue.

The 2025-26 Illini return three starters from a team that won 22 games and reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Returners include big man Tomislav Ivisic, guard Kylan Boswell, and forward Ben Humrichous. Forward Ty Rodgers saw action in the NCAA Tournament game against UCONN in 2024, but he is out for the season with a knee injury. The Illini also add highly-regarded transfers Andrej Stojakovic (Cal) and Zvonimir Ivisic (Arkansas), along with European prospects David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic.

UCONN is projected to be one of the top teams in the nation. The Huskies currently land at No. 6 in the rankings by CBS Sports college basketball insider John Rothstein. Returning players include Alex Karaban and Solo Ball. Dan Hurley also added highly regarded transfers Silas Demary Jr. (Georgia) and Malachi Smith (Dayton). Freshman Braylon Mullins was the No. 15 prospect in the Rivals Industry rankings for 2025, while freshman center Eric Reibe ranked No. 29.

The UConn game adds to another competitive non-conference schedule for Illinois. Other matchups include home games against Texas Tech (Nov. 11) and Missouri (Dec. 22), a neutral-site game against Alabama at the United Center (Nov. 19), and a road game at Tennessee (Dec. 6) in the continuation of a two-year series.

Ticket information for the Black Friday game at Madison Square Garden will be announced at a later date.