Schedule Notes
» The Fighting Illini will play a total of 16 games at State Farm Center during the 2018-19 season, one exhibition game, six non-conference games and nine Big Ten conference contests.
» Following an exhibition game at State Farm Center on Nov. 2, Illinois opens the regular season with a pair of home games, beginning with Evansville on Thursday, Nov. 8, as part of the Maui Invitational.
» The Gavitt Tipoff Games featuring the Big Ten and the Big East lead to the first meeting in 13 years between Illinois and Georgetown, set for Nov. 13 at State Farm Center.
» The Fighting Illini will play in the prestigious Maui Jim Maui Invitational Nov. 19-21 at the Lahaina Civic Center. Illinois opens with Gonzaga on Nov. 19 at 10:30 p.m. CT and will face either Arizona or Iowa State on day two (Nov. 20). The Maui Invite will wrap-up on Nov. 21, with Illinois facing one of these four teams: Auburn, Duke, San Diego State, Xavier.
» For the 20th annual ACC/Big Ten Challenge, the Orange and Blue will travel to Notre Dame on Tuesday, Nov. 27. It will mark the 42nd meeting between the Fighting Illini and Fighting Irish, though it will be just the third meeting since 1973. Illinois leads the all-time series 27-14.
» Illinois has four weekend home games in November and December: Mississippi Valley State (Sunday, Nov. 25), UNLV (Saturday, Dec. 8), East Tennessee State (Saturday, Dec. 15) and Florida Atlantic (Saturday, Dec. 29).
» Illinois will put its five-year Braggin' Rights winning streak on the line on Saturday, Dec. 22, in St. Louis in a highly anticipated showdown with Missouri at Enterprise Center.
» The Illini conclude non-conference play at home against Florida Atlantic (Saturday, Dec. 29).
» New in 2018-19, the Big Ten slate will feature 20 conference games, with each team playing seven teams both home and away and six teams once (three home, three away). This season, the Illini will face Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin in home-and-home matchups. Illinois' single-play home matchups include Michigan, Michigan State and Rutgers, while the Orange and Blue will travel to Iowa, Maryland and Purdue.
» Illinois' annual game at the United Center this season will be against a Big Ten opponent (TBD).
» Illinois' game at Maryland will take place at Madison Square Garden in New York City as part of the 2019 "Super Saturday – College Hoops & Hockey" doubleheader.
» The full Big Ten schedule will be announced at a later date.
