Aug. 19, 2003

Champaign, Ill. - While the Illinois men's basketball team is traveling home today fresh off a successful 6-0 European Tour trip, the Big Ten Conference has released the 2004 schedule of intraconference play for the upcoming 2003-04 basketball season.

The Assembly Hall will be a familiar site in January as Illinois begins league play with four of its first five games at home. The Big Ten opener features a rematch of last year's Big Ten Tournament title game with the Illini and Ohio State squaring off in Champaign on Jan. 7. Illinois won its first Big Ten Tournament championship in 2003 with a 72-59 victory over the Buckeyes. Illinois then welcomes Purdue to the Assembly Hall on Jan. 10. The Illini-Boilermaker rivalry will take on even more meaning this season as first-year Illini Coach Bruce Weber will face his mentor, Purdue head coach Gene Keady. Weber spent 18 years as an assistant at Purdue under Keady.

Illinois' first Big Ten road trip will be to Evanston, Ill., to face Northwestern on Jan. 14. The Illini then return home for games against Iowa (Jan. 17) and Penn State (Jan. 24). Illinois travels to Madison, Wis.-the site that determined last year's regular season Big Ten championship-on Jan. 24 for a rematch with the Badgers, before playing host to Michigan on Jan. 31.

Illinois will have back-to-back road contests at Indiana on Feb. 3 and at Minnesota, where the Illini have won four straight over the Gophers, on Feb. 8. The Michigan State Spartans then arrive in Champaign on Feb. 10 followed by Wisconsin on Feb. 18.

The Illini finish the year with four of its final five league games on the road, beginning with games at Penn State (Feb. 21) and at Iowa (Feb. 25). Senior Night is scheduled for Feb. 28, with Illinois hosting Northwestern in the final home game of the season at Assembly Hall. Dates are still to be determined for Illinois' final two regular season matchups, at Purdue on either March 2 or 3 and at Ohio State on either March 6 or 7.

The 2004 Big Ten Tournament is slated for March 11-14 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, Ind.

All 16 of Illinois' Big Ten contests will be televised, with no fewer than six of those games receiving national television coverage. The Illini will play at least four conference games on ESPN (with the possibility of a fifth) and at least two league games on CBS (with the possibility of a third).

2004 ILLINOIS MEN'S BASKETBALL BIG TEN SCHEDULE

DATE          OPPONENT             TIME (CST)           TELEVISION
Jan. 7        OHIO STATE           8 p.m.               ESPN+ Local
Jan. 10       PURDUE               3:30 p.m.            ESPN+ Regional
Jan. 14       at Northwestern      7 p.m.               ESPN+ Local
Jan. 17       IOWA                 11 a.m.              ESPN
Jan. 21       PENN STATE           8 p.m.               ESPN+ Local
Jan. 24       at Wisconsin         1:30 p.m.            ESPN+ Regional
Jan. 31       MICHIGAN             12:45 p.m.           CBS
Feb. 3        at Indiana           6 p.m.               ESPN
Feb. 8        at Minnesota         Noon                 CBS
Feb. 10       MICHIGAN STATE       8 p.m.               ESPN
Feb. 18       WISCONSIN            7 p.m.               ESPN+ Local
Feb. 21       at Penn State        3 p.m.               ESPN
Feb. 25       at Iowa              6 p.m.               ESPN+ Local
Feb. 28       NORTHWESTERN         1:30 p.m.            ESPN+ Regional
March 2       at Purdue            6 p.m.               ESPN
  -OR-
March 3       at Purdue            5 p.m. or 7 p.m.     ESPN+ Local
March 6       at Ohio State        11:15 a.m.           ESPN+ Regional
  -OR-
March 7       at Ohio State        3 p.m.               CBS
March 11-14   Big Ten Tournament; Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind.

* Home games listed in CAPS and played at Assembly Hall
* All times listed are Central and subject to change