Big Ten opponents set for 2026-27 season

May 12—CHAMPAIGN — The first step in finalizing Illinois ' 2026-27 Big Ten schedule is complete, with the conference announcing each team's 20 league games Tuesday afternoon.

That 20-game slate again includes three teams Illinois will play both at home and on the road — Northwestern, Purdue and Wisconsin — and seven opponents each for home only or road only matchups.

The Illini will face Iowa , Michigan State , Nebraska , Ohio State , Penn State , UCLA and USC at State Farm Center only during the 2026-27 season. Also on the schedule are road games at Indiana, Maryland , Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon , Rutgers and Washington.

Illinois tied with Nebraska and Michigan State for second in the Big Ten this past season and earned the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten tournament. The Illini went on to reach the Final Four in the NCAA tournament and finished the 2025-26 season with a 28-9 record.

Several starters and key rotation players are set to return for the 2026-27 season. That group is led by 6-foot-9 forward David Mirkovic , with Tomislav Ivisic , Zvonimir Ivisic and Jake Davis also set to return. While Andrej Stojakovic also announced his return, the 6-7 guard is currently going through the pre-draft process for the 2026 NBA Draft.