#20 Illini Resume B1G Play Saturday vs. Penn State at The Palestra

#20 ILLINOIS (10-3, 1-1 B1G) vs. Penn State (9-4, 0-2 B1G)
Date | Time	Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026 | 6 p.m. CT
Location	Philadelphia, Pa. | The Palestra
Buy Tickets	PennAthletics.com/Tickets
TV	Big Ten Network (Cory Provus & LaPhonso Ellis)
Live Stream	FoxSports.com/live/btn
Radio	Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 113 or 196, SXM APP
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Printable Notes	Illinois | Penn State
Pregame Press Conference	Coach Underwood (Jan. 2)
2025-26 Stats	Illinois | Penn State
Record Book	Illinois
Shop	Online Store | Auctions
Social Media	@IlliniMBB | #Illini | @IlliniMBB | Facebook | YouTube

Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 284-131 (.684), 13th year
At Illinois: 175-104 (.627), 9th year
Big Ten: 93-67 (.581)

Series History vs. Penn State

All-Time Record / Streak: Illinois leads 33-23 / Illinois W-1
Last Meeting: #13 Illinois 91, Penn State 52 (1/8/2025 in Champaign)
Record at Penn State / Streak: Illinois leads 13-12 / Penn State W-2
Last Meeting at Penn State: Penn State 90, #12 Illinois 89 (2/21/2024 at Rec Hall)
Underwood vs. Penn State: 5-7

OPENING TIPS

• No. 20 Illinois opens the 2026 calendar year with its return to Big Ten play, beginning with a Saturday night matchup in an historic venue vs. Penn State at The Palestra in Philadelphia (6 p.m. CT / BTN). 
• Illinois is making its first appearance at The Palestra since Nov. 29, 2003, a 75-60 win over Temple.
• Saturday's contest opens a 12-day stretch in which the will Illini face three of four Big Ten opponents on the road. Illinois is 3-2 away from home this season, including a 2-2 mark at neutral venues - wins vs. #13 Tennessee in Nashville and vs. Missouri in the annual Braggin' Rights game in St. Louis - and a road win at Ohio State in the team's Big Ten opener on Dec. 9. 
• The game vs. Penn State is the second of seven road-only matchups on the Illini's Big Ten schedule this season. 
• The Fighting Illini offense features five players averaging double figures in scoring – Keaton Wagler (15.3), Andrej Stojakovic (14.8), Kylan Boswell (14.7 ppg), David Mirkovic (13.1), and Tomislav Ivisic (10.5) – tied for the third-most in  the nation behind Baylor and Louisville (six each). 
• Illinois is ranked No. 20 in the latest AP poll and 19 in the coaches poll, and has reached as high as No. 8 (Nov. 17). The Illini have been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons under Brad Underwood. 
• Illinois is No. 10 in the NCAA NET rankings through games played Dec. 31, the third-best rating in the Big Ten behind Michigan (1) and Purdue (6). Illinois is 4-3 on the season combined in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, and 6-0 combined in  Quad 3 and Quad 4 matchups. Saturday's game vs. Penn State is a Quad 3 matchup based on the current NET rankings, the first of just six remaining Q3/Q4 games on the Illini schedule. 
• Illinois' total of three Quad 1 wins is tied for eighth-most in the NCAA and one behind national leaders Arizona, Duke, Gonzaga, Iowa State, Michigan, Michigan State, and UConn, who have four each (through games played Dec. 31). 
• After leading the Big Ten in scoring last season (83.6 ppg), Illinois is currently averaging 88.2 points. At this pace, the Illini would become the third team in program history to average 87+ points behind the 1964-65 (92.2 ppg) and 1955-56 (90.7) teams. The Illini opened this season with seven straight games of 80+ points. It marked the most such games to open a campaign since the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini scored 80+ in each of their first 12 contests. 
• Illinois is No. 9 in the kenpom rankings with a net rating of +29.89. The Illini feature the No. 2-rated offense (127.5) and No. 25 defensive rating (97.6) in the country. The Illini have had an overall kenpom rating of 35th or better each of the last six years under Brad Underwood with a high of No. 4 (2020-21). Illinois posted consecutive top-20 rankings in 2023-24 (10th) and 2024-25 (17th).
• Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 29 wins over top-25 opponents since 2019-20, with 20 of those wins coming in ranked-vs.-ranked matchups. Illinois' 29 top-25 victories are tied for 10th-most in the NCAA during that span. This season the Illini have ranked wins over No. 11 Texas Tech at home, and vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville.  
• Illinois is 2-3 this season vs. Top 25 teams, with a home win over No. 11 Texas Tech (81-77) on Nov. 11, and a neutral-site victory over No. 13 Tennessee (75-62) on Dec. 6 in Nashville, and losses to No. 11 Alabama (90-86) on Nov. 18 at Chicago's United Center, No. 5 UConn (74-61) at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 28, and Dec. 13 at home vs. No. 23 Nebraska (83-80). With seven ranked Big Ten teams in the most recent AP poll, the Illini's current schedule could feature as many as 11 ranked games during the regular season. 
• Illinois entered 2025-26 as the winningest team in Big Ten Conference play since 2019-20, with 81 league wins (tied with Purdue). The Illini now sit one game behind the Boilermakers in the win column through two conference games in the league's early-December scheduling window. The Illini lead the conference with 35 road wins in league play during that span. When including the conference tournament, Illinois is also one game behind Purdue for the most total wins against Big Ten opponents over this span with 89.
• As a team, Illinois ranks in the top three in the Big Ten, and among the top programs nationally in 10 categories: The team leads the Big Ten with 13.6 fouls per game (sixth in the NCAA) and a free-throw percentage of 79.0 (sixth), and are second in the league with 28.5 defensive rebounds per game (26th) and 10.5 3-pointers made per game (33rd). The Illini are third in the B1G in with a +11.5 rebound margin (11th in NCAA), 5.5 blocks per game (18th), 42.0 total rebounds per game (23rd), 29.6 3-point attempts per game (24th), a scoring average of 88.2 points per game (32nd), and 13.5 offensive rebounds per game (49th),
• Illinois is tied for the NCAA lead with six players averaging better than 4.0 rebounds per game over a minimum of five games played: David Mirkovic (8.3 rpg), Keaton Wagler (5.2), Zvonimir Ivisic (5.2), Tomislav Ivisic (5.0), Ben Humrichous (4.4), and Kylan Boswell (4.2). Andrej Stojakovic is just off that pace at 3.9 rebounds per contest. 
• Freshman G Keaton Wagler earned Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors on Dec. 15 after averaging 21 points and 7.5 assists vs. Ohio State and Nebraska, while shooting 50% from the field, 54% from 3-point range and 92% from the free throw line. Wagler scored a career- and team-high 23 points with five assists in road win at Ohio State. He recorded a points-assists double-double with 19 points and career- and game-high 10 assists vs. No. 23 Nebraska. Combined, he knocked down seven 3-pointers on the week, hitting three against the Buckeyes and a career-high four against the Corn Huskers. It marks the third time through the first six weeks of the season that an Illini has been named Big Ten Freshman of the Week, joining two accolades for forward David Mirkovic.
• Freshman G Keaton Wagler leads the Illini and ranks among the Big Ten leaders with: 2.94 assist-to-turnover ratio (8th), 68 free-throw attempts (10th), 56 free-throws made (10th), 31:10 minutes per game (13th), 199 total points (14th), 50 total assists (14th), 3.8 assists per game (14th), an .824 free-throw percentage (17th), 15.3 points per game (19th), and is tied with David Mirkovic for the team lead with 2.4 offensive rebounds per game (13th).
• Freshman F David Mirkovic is one of only four freshmen in the nation, along with Duke's Cameron Boozer, North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, and Washington's Hannes Steinbach, averaging at least 13.0 points and 8.0 rebounds (through Jan. 1). Mirkovic leads the Illini, ranks inside the top 10 in the Big Ten, and is among the national leaders with: four double-doubles (fifth in B1G, 55th in NCAA); 108 total rebounds (sixth, 50th); 5.9 defensive rebounds per game (sixth, 50th); and 8.3 total rebounds per game (sixth, 62nd). Mirkovic also ranks tied for 13th in the Big Ten with 2.4 offensive rebounds per game, tied for the team lead with Keaton Wagler, and is second behind Wagler with an 81.8% free-throw percentage (19th in the Big Ten).  
• Senior G Kylan Boswell is the Illini's active career leader with 1,129 career points (621 at Illinois), with eight 20+ point games and 33 career double-digit scoring games in Orange and Blue. Boswell leads the team with five games this season with 20+ points this season, and has eclipsed the 20-point mark eight times over the last two years.
• Junior G Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois with a reputation as a prolific scorer, and closed out the first half of the schedule averaging 14.8 points on 52.9% shooting. Stojakovic has four 20-point performances, highlighted by a season-high 26 points vs. No. 11 Alabama. Stojakovic also posted 23 points the win over No. 11 Texas Tech, and scored 20 and 24, respectively, in Illinois' wins over LIU and UTRGV. In his Big Ten debut, Stojakovic had 17 points and four rebounds in the win at Ohio State, then posted an 19-point, 10-rebound double-double in the Illini's B1G home opener vs. No. 23 Nebraska. Stojakovic has led the Illini in scoring in a team-most four games this season.   
• Twin 7-footers Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic rank among the top shooting big men in college basketball. Zvonimir is tied for first in the NCAA among 7-footers with six games this season with multiple 3-pointers, while Tomislav ranks tied for fourth at four contests with multiple treys. Tomislav is tied for the NCAA lead among 7-footers with 1.5 3-pointers per game, while Zvonimir ranks tied for third at 1.2 triples per contest.

ILLINI AT THE PALESTRA

• Illinois is 3-1 all-time in four games at The Palestra, one of the cathedrals of college basketball.
• Head coach Brad Underwood will be the third Illini coach to lead the Orange and Blue at the historic building. 
• Harry Combes coached Illinois to a 2-1 mark at the venue as part of the ECAC Quaker City Tournament during the 1964-65 season. 
  » #7 Illinois vs. NYU - W, 102-79 (12/26/1964)
  » #7 Illinois at St. Joseph's - L, 71-75 (12/28/1964)
  » #6 Illinois at Villanova - W, 74-65 (12/29/1964) 
• Bruce Weber coached the 12th-ranked Illini to a road win over Temple 39 years later during the 2003-04 campaign. 
  » #12 Illinois at Temple - W, 75-60 (11/19/2003)
• The Palestra is located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania, the alma mater of Illinois assistant coach/defensive coordinator Camryn Crocker, who played four years for the Quakers. Crocker, in his first season at Illinois, served as team captain during his senior season of 2014-15 and earned two degrees from Penn, a Bachelor of Arts in 2015 and a Master of Science in Education in 2018. 

ILLINOIS VS. PENN STATE

• Saturday's contest is 57th contest in the all-time series with Penn State, dating back to 1942. 
• The Illini are 33-23 all-time vs. Penn State, with a 33-21 mark as Big Ten foes. 
• Illinois is a combined 16-14 vs. Penn State away from home, with a 13-12 record at Penn State and 3-2 mark on a neutral floor.
• Head coach Brad Underwood has led the Illini to a 5-7 record vs. Penn State, including a run of four straight Illini wins from 2019-20 through 2021-22. 
• Penn State rattled off four straight wins from 2022-23 through 2023-24 before the Illini claimed the only matchup last season with a resounding 91-52 victory at State Farm Center.  

ILLINI IN THE NET

• Illinois is No. 10 in the NCAA NET ranking though games played Dec. 31. 
• The Fighting Illini's No. 10 rating is the third-best mark in the Big Ten Conference behind Michigan (1) and Purdue (6). 
• Through 13 games, the Illini are: 3-3 vs. Quad 1, 1-0 vs. Quad 2, 0-0 vs. Quad 3, and 6-0 vs. Quad 4.
• The Illini's remaining 18-game regular-season schedule would feature 12 games vs. Quad 1 or Quad 2 opponents, with five Quad 3 and just one Quad 4 matchups remaining.  
  » Quad 1s (8): at Iowa (12), at Northwestern (73), at Purdue (6), at Nebraska (14), at Michigan State (15), at USC (40), at UCLA (42), and vs. Michigan (1).  
  » Quad 2s (4): vs. Washington (52), vs. Northwestern (73), vs. Wisconsin (67), and vs. Indiana (33)
  » Quad 3s (5): at Penn State (138) in Philadelphia, vs. Minnesota (110), vs. Maryland (148), vs. Oregon (97), and at Maryland (148).
  » Quad 4s (1): vs. Rutgers (197).

ILLINOIS WHEN RANKED

• Saturday' vs. Penn State marks the 14th game of the season ranked in the Top 25 for the No. 20 Fighting Illini. 
• Illinois is 662-270 (.710) all-time when ranked in the AP Top 25. The program is 362-54 (.870) at home, including a 284-41 (.874) mark at State Farm Center, 161-150 (.518) on the road, and 139-64 (.685) at neutral sites. 
• Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois is 100-46 (.685) when ranked..

Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)