The Huskies nonconference schedule continues to get stronger.
A 2024 Elite Eight rematch awaits the UConn men’s basketball team as part of its 2025-26 non-conference schedule. Jon Rothstein reported Monday that the Huskies will face Illinois at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28, marking another strong addition to UConn’s nonconference schedule.
UConn and Illinois are ranked No. 8 and No. 22 respectively in the Rothstein 45, an offseason list updated daily projecting the top 45 teams in college basketball ahead of the upcoming season.
Illinois has made some key additions between now and its round-of-32 loss in last year’s NCAA Tournament. Head coach Brad Underwood brought in Andrej Stojaković, son of former NBA all-star Peja Stojaković, who will now play for this third team in three seasons. The Fighting Illini also brought in 7-foot-2 forward Zvonimir Ivišić, twin brother of 7-foot-1 Tomislav Ivišić — the team’s second-leading point scorer from last season.
The news of the matchup has reaffirmed one thing: this will be a star-studded non-conference slate for head coach Dan Hurley and his squad, who will compete for their third national championship in four years. The Huskies will start their season with an exhibition match on October 13 against Boston College as part of a double-header in conjunction with the women’s team.
The finalization of the game against Illinois brings the number of known non-conference games next season to five. On Nov. 15, UConn will play BYU and No. 1 draft prospect AJ Dybantsa at TD Garden in Boston. On Nov. 19, it will face Arizona in the first year of a home-and-home series, with UConn hosting this year and Arizona next. During the Jimmy V Classic, also at Storrs South, the Huskies will face defending national champion Florida on Dec. 9 before taking on Texas on Dec. 12 at home.
Outside of UConn’s 25-point win over Illinois in the 2024 NCAA Tournament, the two programs have squared off only three other times. UConn took home two of those wins, once in 1992 and again in 1994, while Illinois claimed a 49-23 victory in 1938.