Illinois men’s basketball has added another marquee matchup to its nonconference schedule.
Jon Rothstein reports that Illinois and Texas Tech will play a home-and-home series with the Red Raiders making a trip to Champaign on Nov. 11 and Illinois making a return trip to Lubbock for the 2026-27 season.
The two programs have never played against each other.
About the opponent: Texas Tech went 28-9 (15-5 Big 12) in Grant McCasland‘s first year as head coach, advancing to the Elite Eight before losing to eventual NCAA Tournament champion Florida 84-79. The Red Raiders return star forward JT Toppin (18.2 points, 9.4 rebounds) and starting guard Christian Anderson (10.6 points) but lost stars Darrion Williams (15.1 points) and Chance McMillian (14.2 points). Still, the Red Raiders — who have big financial backing — added a good transfer class of mid-major additions that includes UNC Greensboro guard Donovan Atwell, Santa Clara guard Tyree Bryan and Washington State forward LeJuan Watts. 247Sports college basketball writer Isaac Trotter considers Texas Tech a national title contender.
Why it matters: The matchup with the Red Raiders gives Illinois fans a marquee home game in a loaded nonconference schedule. The Illini’s other top-tier nonconference games so far — vs. Alabama (Nov. 19 in Chicago), vs. UConn (Nov. 28 in New York City), vs. Tennessee (Dec. 6 in Nashville) and vs. Missouri (late December in St. Louis) — are all neutral site games, but Underwood has desired to give local fans at least one great nonconference game at State Farm Center each year, and this fits the ball.
Illini’s reported nonconference games
- Nov. 11: vs. Texas Tech at State Farm Center in Champaign
- Nov. 19: vs. Alabama at United Center in Chicago
- Nov. 28: vs. UConn at Madison Square Garden in New York City
- Dec. 6: vs. Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville
- TBD: vs. Missouri in the Braggin’ Rights game at Enterprise Center in St. Louis
What it means: Underwood continues to stack his nonconference schedules with some of the best programs in the country. There is little downside in doing so — outside of a 43-point loss to Duke last February — and a ton of upside. Plus, it allows Underwood to get a great read on his revamped rosters each season. But this Illini squad, which is much older and has a lot more retention than last season, should be more equipped to handle such a gauntlet in November and December.
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