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.
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.
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 Jr., as well as head coach Dusty May.
However, the Wolverines have plenty of star power left to handle the Illini. Senior guard Elliot Cadeau is also a top returner, according to Fox Sports. He averaged 10.5 points and almost 6 assists per game while shooting 41.1% from the floor. Fellow guard Trey McKenney could give Illinois trouble as well after averaging 9.9 points per game and shooting nearly 40% from three last year.
The Illini missed out on getting revenge against the Wolverines in the national championship game in April, but will have a chance to prove their worth in February.
The final game of this monster two-week stretch is a classic matchup: Purdue. Illinois will head back to the scene of the crime from last season and try to replicate its performance without Wagler.
Purdue lost its top four scorers in the offseason, including longtime star guard Braden Smith. Sophomore guard C.J. Cox will likely lead the team in Smith’s place after averaging 8.5 points and 1.3 assists per game last year. However, the Boilermakers could be in trouble this season with a lack of star power. Illinois can take advantage of that and take back-to-back road wins over the rival program.
With a heap of returners, Illinois is poised for another strong season. ESPN’s Jeff Borzello ranked the Illini at No. 3 in a way-too-early top 25 earlier this month. While this stretch isn’t until February, it will still be a big test for Illinois and could help boost its ranking heading into the postseason.