Coming off a loss to the Baylor Bears, Illinois basketball will look to correct some issues in the final tune-up game of the season.
The final exhibition game before the season tips off on November 2 is against the UIC Flames. This is a fun interstate matchup where Illinois can make some corrections and hone our game before an interesting non-conference begins.
A quality blowout victory is what needs to happen. We also need to show that we can play some defense. The Illini are giving up 95.5 points per game right now, so shutting down the Flames would be good.
Here is the Illinois basketball vs. UIC: How to watch, odds, injuries, announcers & more
How to watch Illinois basketball vs. UIC exhibition
- Date: Wednesday, October 28, 2026
- Time: 7:00 p.m. CT/8:00 p.m. ET
- Venue: State Farm Center – Champaign, Illinois
- How to watch (TV/Streaming): B1G+
- Radio: Busey Bank Illini Sports Network
- Illinois record: 0-0 (2-0 in exhibition)
- UIC record: 0-0 (first exhibition game)
Announcers for Illinois basketball vs. UIC
- Play-by-play: Scott Sudikoff?
- Play-by-play: Cooper O'Kelly?
- Reporter: Ella Peterson?
Illinois basketball vs. UIC odds, spread, and total
- N/A (no lines for exhibition games)
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Illinois basketball injury report
F David Mirkovic (left foot) – Out
C Tomislav Ivisic (knee) – Questionable
W Andrej Stojakovic (head) – Questionable
UIC injury report
G Asa Thomas (hip) – Out or season
Illinois basketball vs. UIC series history
- All-time meetings: 16
- Illinois all-time record vs. UIC: 14-2
- Last meeting: Saturday, December 12, 2015 (W 83-79)
- Last win over UIC: Saturday, December 12, 2015 (W 83-79)
Over the decades, Illinois has played UIC numerous times. This has been a one-sided series, though.
Illinois leads the Flames 14-2 in the series. The last time UIC won was back in 2010, when they got the best of the Illini, 57-54. Looking back, it is pretty embarrassing that we lost to the Flames in the 2010s.
The first-ever matchup between the two squads came in 1987. Illinois had a great team at that point, and we throttled UIC by a score of 109-53. Throughout time, most of the games in the series have been close, and I expect the Flames to bring everything they have in this exhibition game.
Today's best reads
- Illinois basketball vs Baylor: How to watch, odds, injuries, announcers & more
- David Mirkovic's Preseason All-America nod is just another accolade to add to the list
- Brad Underwood has the perfect attitude following the Illinois basketball loss to Baylor
- Filtering the Illinois basketball truths and lies from the exhibition loss to Baylor
- Illinois will be without David Mirkovic longer than expected with regular season looming
This article was originally published on www.writingillini.com as Illinois basketball vs. UIC: How to watch, odds, injuries, announcers & more.