Aug. 26, 2002
CHAMPAIGN, ILL.-The 2002-03 Fighting Illini men's basketball schedule
was announced today. Highlighting the slate under third-year head
coach Bill Self are eight games against NCAA Tournament teams from a
year ago, including two match-ups with national runner-up Indiana and
a showdown with Final Eight participant Missouri. The Illini are
still working on a regular-season opener to be played in Champaign.
On Dec. 3, Illinois will host an ACC/Big Ten Challenge game at the
Assembly Hall for the first time in the four years of the Challenge's
existence when the North Carolina Tarheels come to town. This will
mark North Carolina's first trip to Champaign since 1987 and will be
the first ACC team to visit the Assembly Hall since the Illini
defeated Georgia Tech in double overtime in 1989.
The Illini will appear nationally on ESPN for three consecutive
Saturdays during the month of December, beginning Dec. 7 against
Arkansas in Little Rock. Illinois will face Temple at the United
Center in Chicago on Dec. 14, and the Illini and the Missouri Tigers
will square off in the annual border war game at the Savvis Center in
St. Louis on Dec. 21.
The Illini also host a Big Ten home game away from the Assembly Hall
when they take on Northwestern Feb. 22 at the United Center in
Chicago.
"We have a good, competitive schedule this year," Self said. "We play
some of the premier programs in the nation, but also several home
games that will hopefully allow us to grow as a team prior to Big Ten
play."
Illinois will appear a total of six times on ESPN, twice on ESPN2,
and four times on CBS (with the possibility of a fifth game) during
the 2002-03 season.
The Illini begin Big Ten play on the road for the first time since
1999 when the team travels to Minnesota to open the conference slate
Jan. 7. It remains the same four Big Ten teams as last season that
the Illini will play just once during the 16-game conference
schedule: Iowa, Northwestern, Ohio State and Penn State.
| Date | Opponent | Time (CST) | TV |
| Fri. Oct. 11 | MIDNIGHT MADNESS (at Huff Hall) | 10:30 p.m. |
| Sat. Oct. 26 | ORANGE & BLUE SCRIMMAGE | 7 p.m. |
| Tues. Nov. 12 | SPOTLIGHT JAMMERS (Exhibition) | 7 p.m. |
| Fri. Nov. 15 | EA SPORTS ALL-STARS (Exhibition) | 7 p.m. |
| Nov. TBA | TBA | TBA | TBA |
| Wed. Nov. 27 | ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF | 7 p.m. | TBA |
| Sun. Dec. 1 | WESTERN ILLINOIS | 2 p.m. | TBA |
| Tues. Dec. 3 | NORTH CAROLINA (ACC/Big Ten Challenge) | 8:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Sat. Dec. 7 | vs. Arkansas (at Little Rock) | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Tues. Dec. 10 | EASTERN ILLINOIS | 7 p.m. | TBA |
| Sat. Dec. 14 | TEMPLE (Chevrolet Shootout at United Center, Chicago) |
| 11 a.m. | ESPN |
| Sat. Dec. 21 | vs. Missouri (at Savvis Center, St. Louis) | 4:30 |
| p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat. Dec. 28 | NORTH CAROLINA-GREENSBORO | 7 p.m. | TBA |
| Mon. Dec. 30 | COPPIN STATE | 7 p.m. | TBA |
| Sat. Jan. 4 | OAKLAND | 7 p.m. | TBA |
| Tues. Jan. 7 | at Minnesota | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat. Jan. 11 | WISCONSIN | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+ Regional |
| Wed. Jan. 15 | at Iowa | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ Local |
| Sat. Jan. 18 | at Indiana | 3 p.m. | CBS |
| Wed. Jan. 22 | PURDUE | 6:30 p.m. | ESPN2 |
| Sat. Jan. 25 | at Penn State | 11:15 a.m. | ESPN+ Regional |
| Wed. Jan. 29 | MICHIGAN | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ Local |
| Sun. Feb. 2 | at Michigan State | Noon | CBS |
| Sun. Feb. 9 | OHIO STATE | Noon | CBS |
| Sat. Feb. 15 | at Purdue | 7 p.m. | ESPN+ Local |
| Tues. Feb. 18 | MICHIGAN STATE | 6 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat. Feb. 22 | NORTHWESTERN (at United Center, Chicago) | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| Tues. Feb. 25 | INDIANA | 8 p.m. | ESPN |
| Sat. March 1 | at Michigan | 11:15 a.m. | ESPN+ Regional |
| Wed. March 5 | at Wisconsin | 8 p.m. | ESPN+ Local |
| Sat. March 8 | MINNESOTA | 3:30 or 7 p.m. | ESPN+R or ESPN+L |
| - Or Sun. March 9 | MINNESOTA | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| March 13-16 | Big Ten Tournament (at United Center, Chicago) |
| March 20-23 | NCAA Tournament 1st and 2nd Rounds |
| March 27-30 | NCAA Tournament Regionals |
| April 5, 7 | NCAA Final Four, New Orleans |
Home games in CAPS. All times are Central. Dates and times subject to
change.
TV coverage subject to change.
Big Ten Tournament Schedule; United Center, Chicago (All times Central)
Thursday, March 13 - First Round
Game 1: #8 seed vs. #9 seed, 11 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: #7 seed vs. #10 seed, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 3: #6 seed vs. #11 seed, 4:05 p.m. (ESPN2)
Friday, March 14 - Quarterfinals
Game 4 Game 1 winner vs. #1 seed, 11 a.m. (ESPN)
Game 5: #4 seed vs. #5 seed, 1:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 6 Game 2 winner vs. #2 seed, 5:40 p.m. (ESPN+)
Game 7 Game 3 winner vs. #3 seed, 8:10 p.m. (ESPN+)
Saturday, March 15 - Semifinals
Game 8 Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 12:40 p.m. (CBS)
Game 9 Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 3:05 p.m. (CBS)
Sunday, March 16 - Championship
Game 10 Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 2:30 p.m. (CBS)
