Tough February test set for Illini

It’s going to be a crazy start to February.

Illinois released its Big Ten schedule on Wednesday, and one two-week period immediately stood out. From Feb. 2-12, 2027, the Illini will face a gauntlet consisting of UCLA, Michigan State, Michigan and Purdue.

Last season, Illinois went 1-3 against those four teams. It left Mackey Arena with an 88-82 victory in January behind guard Keaton Wagler’s 46-point performance. The Illini hit a rough stretch in February that started with an overtime loss to the Michigan State Spartans.

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Two game-saving free throws from senior guard Jake Davis forced overtime, but Illinois couldn’t overcome 11 points from redshirt junior guard Jeremy Fears Jr. in overtime. That defeat started a 2-4 stretch that lasted through the end of the month.

Illinois lost another close overtime battle to UCLA on the road after leading by 23 before coming back to State Farm Center and getting blown out by the eventual national champions, Michigan.

Now, the Illini have a chance to redeem themselves. It opens February at home against UCLA, a team that lost multiple top scorers in Tyler Bilodeau, Donovan Dent and Skyy Clark. However, guards Trent Perry and Eric Dailey Jr. stuck around and could give the Illini problems.

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Perry had 20 against Illinois last season, while Dailey had 17. Both shot under 40% from three on the season, but finished the game shooting 50% from beyond the arc against Illinois.

The second game of the four-game lineup is against Michigan State. Fears is back for his junior season after averaging 15.2 points and 9.4 assists on 43.1% shooting. The Joliet native led the game between the teams last season with 26 points. Fears was named one of the top returning players in the sport by Fox Sports over the summer.

Game three sends Illinois on the road to Ann Arbor, Michigan, where it will face off against reigning national champs Michigan. Michigan lost a handful of its top players to the NBA, including Yaxel Lendeborg and Morez Johnson…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/tough-february-test-set-illini-150212343.html

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Publish date : 2026-09-17 15:02:00

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