How to Watch Baylor at Illinois: TV Channel, Live Stream, Time and David Mirkovic Injury Update

Illinois basketball fans have plenty of reasons to be excited about the upcoming season, but the Fighting Illini will once again be without one of their most important players when Baylor visits State Farm Center on Friday night.

David Mirkovic is expected to miss the exhibition as he continues recovering from a foot injury. His absence creates an important storyline for No. 3 Illinois, which already demonstrated impressive offensive production without him during a 105-96 exhibition victory at Cincinnati.

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Andrej Stojakovic led the Fighting Illini with 24 points against the Bearcats, while Stefan Vaaks added 19 and freshman Ethan Brown contributed 15.

Friday’s matchup against Baylor provides another opportunity for coach Brad Underwood to evaluate his available players before the regular season begins.

The game also gives Illinois fans their first opportunity to watch the team at home this preseason, with a nationally prominent opponent coming to Champaign.

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How to Watch Baylor Bears at Illinois Fighting Illini

Date: Friday, October 23, 2026

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: State Farm Center, Champaign, Illinois

TV Channel: No traditional television broadcast announced

Live Stream: B1G+

Streaming: Pay-per-view event; check B1G+ for the current purchase price

The Big Ten Conference has designated Friday’s matchup as a B1G+ pay-per-view exhibition.

David Mirkovic’s Absence Creates Major Challenge

Mirkovic’s injury is one of the biggest storylines surrounding Illinois. The preseason All-American averaged 13.3 points, 8.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season, establishing himself as one of the Big Ten’s most productive young forwards.

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He also collected 297 rebounds, breaking the Illinois freshman record previously held by Kofi Cockburn. Underwood has emphasized taking a cautious approach with Mirkovic’s recovery rather than rushing him back for exhibition competition.

His absence creates additional opportunities for Illinois’ younger players and newcomers to…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/watch-baylor-illinois-tv-channel-233000549.html

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Publish date : 2026-10-23 23:30:00

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