Illinois Basketball: 2022-23 season preview and outlook for Fighting Illini

Schedule Outlook

The first few weeks start pretty simply for the Illini, who get three straight mid-major home games to open the season, making the road to 3-0 a pretty simple one. Any unbeaten start to the season gets a major challenge in mid-November, as the Illini will head to the Continental Tire Main Event in Las Vegas. They get a tough matchup with UCLA and will then face either Baylor or Virginia, perhaps giving Mayer and Dainja the chance for revenge over their former school.

Nonconference play continues the following week with a game against Lindenwood and then the ACC/Big Ten Challenge matchup with Syracuse. The Illini get the Orange at home and will certainly be favorites against a program that has struggled in recent years. A week later, the Illini get another intriguing matchup, heading to New York to play Texas as part of the Jimmy V Classic.

Sandwiching that trip to New York is the first two Big Ten games of the year, with a road trip to Maryland and then later a home date against Penn State. There are a couple more easy home games on the schedule, but there’s also the Braggin’ Rights game against Missouri on December 22nd. The Illini are hoping to continue their success against a Tigers squad that’s also reloaded their talent this offseason.

Big Ten play begins as January rolls around, and it’s not a difficult start for the Illini. They’ll play on the road against some of the weaker teams at the beginning of the season before an intriguing home date with Indiana on January 19th. The Illini will host both Michigan and Michigan State without having to play either on the road, but do have tough games at Indiana, Ohio State, and Purdue in the final two and a half weeks of the regular season.