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According to Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports, next season's return game between the Connecticut Huskies and Illinois Fighting Ilini has been scheduled for Friday, December 4, 2026 at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois.
Last season, Illinois played the first of a back-to-back season series with the Huskies at Madison Square Garden, losing 74-61 on Black Friday. Of course, both teams met again in the Final Four, where UCONN won 71-62. I recently rewatched that game for the first time since it happened and left with similar feelings of regret and frustration as UCONN was beatable.
Illinois also played UCONN during the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, losing 77-52 to the eventual national champion Huskies.
In all honesty, I am considering this season's game against UCONN a must-win for Brad Underwood and his program, which is 0-3 against Dan Hurley's Huskies.
While a lot of people are projecting Illinois ahead of UCONN in the preseason rankings, I am not going to do so until the Illini show that they can beat the Huskies.
As Hurley's team showed last year, even in defeat to Michigan during the national title game, the road to a championship in men's college basketball must go through Connecticut.
It is time for Illinois to knock off the Huskies in front of a pro-Illini crowd in Chicago, which should be an electric atmosphere.
Doing so will legitimize Illinois as a true national title contender in my eyes.
Last season, Illinois played the first of a back-to-back season series with the Huskies at Madison Square Garden, losing 74-61 on Black Friday. Of course, both teams met again in the Final Four, where UCONN won 71-62. I recently rewatched that game for the first time since it happened and left with similar feelings of regret and frustration as UCONN was beatable.
Illinois also played UCONN during the Elite Eight of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, losing 77-52 to the eventual national champion Huskies.
In all honesty, I am considering this season's game against UCONN a must-win for Brad Underwood and his program, which is 0-3 against Dan Hurley's Huskies.
While a lot of people are projecting Illinois ahead of UCONN in the preseason rankings, I am not going to do so until the Illini show that they can beat the Huskies.
As Hurley's team showed last year, even in defeat to Michigan during the national title game, the road to a championship in men's college basketball must go through Connecticut.
It is time for Illinois to knock off the Huskies in front of a pro-Illini crowd in Chicago, which should be an electric atmosphere.
Doing so will legitimize Illinois as a true national title contender in my eyes.
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