Illinois Men’s Basketball Kicks Off 2024-25 Season Against Eastern Illinois

The Illinois Fighting Illini men’s basketball team is set to begin their 2024-25 season with a home game against the Eastern Illinois Panthers on Monday, November 4, at the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois. This marks the third consecutive year that the Illini have opened their season against the Panthers and the ninth overall meeting between the two teams, with Illinois having won all eight previous contests.

Eastern Illinois, coming off a 14-18 season (8-10 in the Ohio Valley Conference), is expected to present a challenging matchup despite being the underdog. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood praised the Panthers, noting that they are “extremely well coached” and known for forcing turnovers, a key aspect of their game.

The Illini are looking to improve from their recent exhibition loss to Ole Miss on October 27, where they struggled with turnovers, three-point shooting, and defense. Coach Underwood has used the past week to address these issues in practice. “We played too fast after makes,” Underwood said. “We just committed some egregious turnovers. I think they had 18 points on live ball turnovers, which is an egregious amount. We emphasized that, and we’ll see if that’s better tomorrow.

The starting lineup for Illinois is likely to include freshman guard Kasparas Jakucionis, junior guard Kylan Boswell, fifth-year forward Ben Humrichous, and sophomore center Tomislav Ivisic, who was recently cleared by the NCAA. Ivisic is expected to be a key player with his versatility in both post and perimeter play.

The game will tip off at 7 p.m. and can be streamed via the B1G+ app, with radio coverage available on WDWS-AM 1400 (Champaign) and WLS-AM 890 (Chicago), among other local markets.