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2026-27 Fighting Illini

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Miles Leonard

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2026-27 Fighting Illini
« on: August 04, 2026, 04:10:13 PM »
Mirkovic suffered a foot injury in a team workout and had surgery. No timetable on his return.

Every fucking year…
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Beach Bum

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #1 on: August 04, 2026, 04:47:58 PM »
Ruh roh. Feet heal in three months don't they, unless you are Chinese and gigantic
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Judge Judy

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #2 on: August 04, 2026, 08:51:31 PM »
Quote from: Miles Leonard on August 04, 2026, 04:10:13 PM
Mirkovic suffered a foot injury in a team workout and had surgery. No timetable on his return.

Every fucking year…

They’re saying 6-8 weeks now…
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bringbackself

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #3 on: August 05, 2026, 06:25:14 AM »
I'm. Calling it now

This year's will be a average year

Book it
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ThePAMan

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #4 on: August 05, 2026, 07:49:56 AM »
Quote from: bringbackself on August 05, 2026, 06:25:14 AM
I'm. Calling it now

This year's will be a average year

Book it

You mean Average Golden Era Year! Yeah!
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ILLINICHIEF

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #5 on: August 05, 2026, 12:20:49 PM »
Best case scenario imo would be looking at a Dec 4th FULL return, he may get some playing time with rehab/Fletch working their magic before then, but really no other reason before then to return too early.

Non Conference up to then is very winnable without Mirk EXCEPT  for the Duke game.

Duke pre-season #1- #2 in most places, maybe a loss with him, maybe not.....50/50 either way so why risk it? No shame in losing to a #1-2? team without possibly our best player?

UCONN is the game that he should be ready for and the ONE that we need him the most non conference schedule wise!
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ILLINICHIEF

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2026, 09:49:54 AM »
https://x.com/IlliniMBB/status/2085425991988510968

These guys once again are ripped....Fletched you might say.....Lead by example.

Landon looks bigger than JJ in this picture.....really think this kid could be our next Augie.....he has that kind of movement on the court.
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Beach Bum

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2026, 09:02:02 PM »
That's a lot of white guys. Looks like a solid D2 football program.
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ThePAMan

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #8 on: Today at 11:09:43 AM »
https://fightingillini.com/news/2026/8/21/illinois-unveils-mens-basketball-non-conference-schedule?utm_medium=email&elq_cid=672438&RSRC=Email&RDAT=5311&ehash=25772712ae6e535616d99c10e1510a20ec2df4f040f93c83ced73618422f365f&aid=16090&pid=illinois_email_eloqua&rid=5311

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CHAMPAIGN, Ill.– Illinois has unveiled its completed 2026-27 non-conference schedule, highlighted by five games against high-major opponents and totaling six contests against reigning NCAA Tournament teams.

Illinois will prep for the regular season with a trio of exhibition games, beginning Oct. 17 at Cincinnati. The Illini will host Baylor in an exhibition game on Friday, Oct. 23, the night before Illinois Football's home game against Oregon. The final exhibition game is set for Oct. 28, at home against UIC.

The Fighting Illini officially tip off the season on Nov. 2, hosting Fairleigh Dickinson on opening night. Illinois then welcomes Penn to State Farm Center on Nov. 5 in a rematch of last year's NCAA Tournament first-round game that saw the Illini defeat the Quakers, 105-70.

Illinois has its first road test set for Nov. 10 with a trip to Lubbock, Texas to face Texas Tech in a return game from last year's 81-77 Illini victory in Champaign. The Red Raiders are coming off an NCAA Round of 32 appearance.

Illinois returns to State Farm Center on Friday, Nov. 13 against Sam Houston. Another marquee road game follows as the Illini travel to Durham, North Carolina to face Duke on Nov. 17 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils advanced to the NCAA Elite Eight last season, and like the Illini, are receiving preseason recognition as a top-ranked team.

Illinois closes out November with three straight home games. Eastern Illinois will visit State Farm Center on Friday, Nov. 20, the night before the final football game at Gies Memorial Stadium vs. Iowa. The Illini then host Winthrop on Nov. 23 and have a Black Friday home game against Western Kentucky on Nov. 27.

Another one of the premier non-conference games of the 2026-27 college basketball season is set for Friday, Dec. 4, as reigning Final Four teams Illinois and UConn will meet at the United Center in Chicago. The Huskies defeated the Illini 71-62 in last season's National Semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

The Illini are in St. Louis on Sunday, Dec. 20, battling Missouri in the annual McBride Homes Braggin' Rights game at Enterprise Center. Illinois will look to retain the Braggin' Rights trophy for the fourth year in a row against the Tigers, who are coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Illinois closes out the calendar year at home against Seattle on Dec. 29.

The final non-conference game is set for Saturday, Jan. 30, as Illinois returns to Nashville to face 2026 NCAA Tournament participant North Carolina in the Nashville Hoops Showdown at Bridgestone Arena. Illinois also visited Nashville last season, defeating Tennessee.

Illinois' Big Ten home schedule includes the following 10 teams: Iowa, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, UCLA, USC, and Wisconsin.

The Illini will make league road trips, meanwhile, to Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Oregon, Purdue, Rutgers, Washington, and Wisconsin.

The full Big Ten schedule will be released at a later date.

Head coach Brad Underwood welcomes back five rotation players while adding a top-15 recruiting class and impact transfer to this year's roster, as Illinois appears in the Top 5 preseason rankings for 2026-27.

Illinois is coming off a Final Four appearance, 28-9 record – the fourth-most wins in school history – and Big Ten runner-up finish. Illinois is the winningest team in Big Ten play this decade and is one of four programs nationally with seven straight 20-win regular seasons.
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No one in Mn

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #9 on: Today at 12:32:01 PM »
Contributing to the Golden Era !!!

"Illinois is the winningest team in Big Ten play this decade and is one of four programs nationally with seven straight 20-win regular seasons."
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Still hiding behind innuendo and practicing the art of omission.
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Hal9000

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #10 on: Today at 01:08:32 PM »
If you are judging Illinois athletics by having both football and men's basketball performing at a high level at the same time, the Golden Era may be 1949-1952. Though 1983–1989 and 2001-2005 may be up there.

🏆 1983–89 This era is unusual because both major revenue sports were legitimately good simultaneously.

Football
1983: 10–2, 9–0 Big Ten, outright conference champion, Rose Bowl.
1984: 7–4–1 and bowl-bound.
1988: 6–5–1.
1989: 10–2, Top-10 finish, Citrus Bowl champion.

Basketball
1983–84: 26–5, Big Ten co-champion, Elite Eight.
1984–85: 26–9, Sweet 16.
1987–88: 23–10.
1988–89: 31–5, No. 1 seed, Big Ten contender and Final Four.

And that 1988–89 combination is particularly compelling as Illinois football went 10–2 and finished in the Top 10, while basketball went 31–5 and reached the Final Four.

🟠 What about 2001–05?

This may arguably be the more impressive peak.

Football:
2001: 10–2, Big Ten champion, Sugar Bowl.
But football declined afterward: 5–7 in 2002, 1–11 in 2003, 3–8 in 2004, 2–9 in 2005.

Basketball, meanwhile, was outstanding:
2001: Elite Eight
2002: Sweet 16
2004: Sweet 16
2005: 37–2, Big Ten champion, national runner-up.

So 2004–05 is unquestionably the greatest basketball peak, but it doesn't qualify as the greatest football + basketball era because football was struggling.

If you want to define “Golden Era” specifically as “football AND basketball were good at the same time,” I will note that 1949–52 was historically impressive for basketball, with three Final Four appearances. Illinois finished third each time. And the greatest single season of Illinois football, perhaps, was 1951. The 1951 Illini went 9–0–1, won the Big Ten, beat Stanford 40–7 in the Rose Bowl, finished No. 4 in the AP poll, and are recognized by Illinois as the program's last national championship team. 1946–1953 was the greatest football championship era: Multiple Big Ten titles, Rose Bowls, and the 1951 national championship.

The data shows the current era has a ways to go before it is Golden.
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Just what do you think you're doing, illiniray?
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ThePAMan

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Re: 2026-27 Fighting Illini
« Reply #11 on: Today at 02:52:01 PM »
I am wondering if Hal is actually Nichi since he/it is going back that far....
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