Good Morning, Illini Nation: Contemplating nonconference opponents | Sports

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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:

Purdue released its entire nonconference schedule May 6. All nine one-off games plus the Baha Mar Championship and even a pair of exhibition games against Kentucky and Indianapolis. It’s an impressive overall slate with games against Alabama, Iowa State, Marquette and Auburn in addition to whomever the Boilermakers play in the Bahamas.

All we know about Illinois’ nonconference schedule is the Illini will play Alabama on Nov. 19 at the United Center in Chicago and St. Louis for Braggin’ Rights at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis at some point in the days before Christmas. (In short, chop chop on the schedule release. I’m curious).

But until those games are officially announced, I can postulate on who would be interesting to see Illinois play during the 2025-26 season. Like these five teams:

Florida

Brad Underwood is all about playing the best teams possible. The reigning national champions would certainly qualify (even if they’ve lost some of their top players). The Gators still have a top big man in Thomas Haugh, snagged a high-level point guard replacement in Princeton transfer Xavian Lee. 

Houston

Might as well put the national runners-up on the wish list, too. Particularly since Houston coach Kelvin Sampson probably has himself another 30-plus win team. The Cougars return a bit more than Florida, with Emanuel Sharp and JoJo Tugler leading that group, they beefed up their backcourt with Creighton transfer Pop Isaacs and have, without a doubt, the top group of incoming freshmen Sampson has had in his time with the program. It’s the No. 1 class, per 247Sports, and includes three top 20 recruits.

BYU

Speaking of high-level recruits, the Cougars have one in five-star freshman AJ Dybantsa. The 6-foot-9 wing averaged 28.6 points, 9.5 rebounds and 3.6 assists this past season at Utah Prep and is projected by most to be the likely No. 1 pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. BYU has talent around Dybantsa, too, with Richie Saunders and Dawson Baker returning and Rob Wright inbound from Baylor to run the point.  

Illinois State

Two in-state programs got trips to Champaign last season, with Eastern Illinois and SIU Edwardsville on Illinois’ schedule. Branching out beyond the OVC wouldn’t exactly hurt the Illini, but they haven’t played an in-state team of note in Underwood’s tenure as coach. Haven’t played the Redbirds since 2011 either and not since 2004 in Champaign. (I was there. Might have been wearing ISU gear). This Redbirds team should contend in the Missouri Valley Conference, with a slew of returning players from their CBI championship team including former St. Joseph-Ogden star Ty Pence.

Drake

Might as well double down on the Valley. It will be interesting to see if new Drake coach Eric Henderson can maintain the success of his predecessors — Niko Medved, Darian DeVries and Ben McCollum — who all wound up in the Big Ten this offseason. Odds are high he can given his success at South Dakota State. Mostly, hosting Drake would set up a return “home” game for another former area star in Tuscola’s Jalen Quinn, who transferred from Loyola Chicago to Drake this spring.