3 Illinois Basketball Storylines to Watch vs. Cincinnati

At long last, Illinois basketball has returned, which, Illini Nation surely agrees, couldn’t come at a better time given the school’s underwhelming output on the gridiron lately. Illinois’ 2026-27 hoops season gets underway with an exhibition matchup at Cincinnati on Saturday (first regular-season game: Nov. 2).

The good news for fans: The Illini are back. The bad news: The game will not be televised. Illinois’ next two exhibition games – versus Baylor and UIC – will both be broadcast on Big Ten Plus, but this Cincinnati game won’t be available. But that won’t stop us from “watching” these three storylines:

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3 things we’ll learn about Illinois in exhibition vs. Cincinnati

Apr 4, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts after a play against the UConn Huskies during the first half of a semifinal of the Final Four of the men’s 2026 NCAA Tournament at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Illinois’ crowded freshman minutes battle

Coach Brad Underwood made it clear that Illinois is going deep into its bench on Saturday (as all teams tend to do in exhibition games). It would be a mild shock if every Illini player didn’t enter the game at some point.

So we’re going to get a glimpse – or perhaps a long look – at every freshman on the Illinois roster. But who is the first one off the bench? It’s an exhibition game, so the answer only carries so much weight, but it will offer a general idea. It could honestly be any of them, but we’ll go with Ethan Brown.

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Are the Illini actually going to play faster?

Nov 19, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) scores against Alabama Crimson Tide during the first half at United Center. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Coaches and players alike have talked about Illinois turning up the tempo in 2026-27. Underwood-helmed teams have always played…

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Publish date : 2026-10-17 04:38:00

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