The UConn men’s basketball team will face Illinois on Friday, Dec. 4 at the United Center in Chicago. The game is a return of the game at Madison Square Garden last season.
UConn is 5-1 all-time against Illinois and has taken each of the last five meetings, including wins in the 2026 Final Four and the 2024 East Regional Final.
The Huskies beat the Illini 71-62 in the national semifinals last season, and famously went on a 30-0 run to thrash them 77-52 in the Elite Eight in 2024, on their way to a national title.
Time and TV information have yet to be announced.
The Huskies are preparing to play what will likely be the most challenging nonconference schedule in program history with games against Michigan, Duke, Kansas, Arizona, Syracuse, Virginia and Ohio State.
“It’s an arduous schedule. We’re banking on the fact that we’ve been very successful in nonconference games because of what we do in the summer and then our style of play, for people who haven’t played against us, gives us some type of small advantage,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said last month. “You’re trying to play nonconference games versus the best teams so that, twofold, you can identify how good you are and where you need to get better, real true tests, and they’re games that move the needle for you relative to getting in the tournament, and then put you in a situation where you have a good seed for the tournament. Those are not the games that hurt you if you lose them.”
