Women's Basketball Non-Conference Schedule Announced
September 15, 2026 | Women's Basketball
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The fifth non-conference schedule of the Shauna Green era at Illinois has been announced and features 10 home games inside State Farm Center.
The first of those 10 home contests will be an exhibition against UIS on Oct. 30. Illinois' regular-season opener is slated for Wednesday, Nov. 4, against Detroit Mercy. Later that week, the Orange and Blue will host Southern on Saturday, Nov. 7. Eight days later, Green's squad will close out its season-opening homestand with a tilt against SEMO on Nov. 15.
From there, Illinois' next three non-conference games will be on the road. On Nov. 18, the Fighting Illini will head to Ball State for its first road contest of the season. Illinois will spend Thanksgiving in the Bahamas at the previously announced Baha Mar Hoops Nassau Championship, at which the squad will face Marquette (Nov. 27) and Saint Joseph's (Nov. 29) in neutral matchups.
The early Big Ten game will fall in early December and will be announced with the rest of the conference schedule on Wednesday, Sept. 16.
Non-conference action in December keeps the Fighting Illini at home in State Farm Center for six games. The first game back is slated for Dec. 7 vs. Chicago State. Missouri will come to town on Dec. 10 for the latest rendition of the McBride Homes Braggin' Rights series. Three days later, Illinois closes out the week by hosting Evansville (Dec. 13). The final stretch before the holiday break features three games in five days as Western Illinois (Dec. 18), Wright State (Dec. 20), and Old Dominion (Dec. 22) visit Champaign.
Illinois' full Big Ten schedule will be released on Sept. 16. Home and road matchups for the 18-game Big Ten schedule were announced in June.
- Big Ten Home Games: Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, Purdue, Washington, Oregon
- Big Ten Away Games: Indiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Northwestern, Ohio State, Rutgers, Wisconsin, UCLA, USC
- Home & Away: Northwestern
SEASON TICKETS
Fresh off the announcement of her second contract extension, Green and the Illini have sold out of lower bowl reserved seat season tickets in State Farm Center for back-to-back seasons. Thanks to the expansion of reserved seating into four upper 100-level sections (121, 122, 142, 143) prior to the 2026-27 season, some reserved season ticket inventory is still available. Additionally, general admission season tickets to catch the 2026-27 Illinois women's basketball squad in action from State Farm Center are still available and can be purchased HERE. Single-game tickets will be available closer to the start of the season.
ILLINOIS UNDER GREEN
Illinois enters Year 5 under head coach Shauna Green while compiling a 51-15 record at home over the last four seasons, including five upsets of AP Top-20 ranked teams: No. 12 Iowa (1/1/23), No. 14 Indiana (2/19/24), No. 19 Florida State (11/7/24), No. 23 Iowa (1/9/25), and No. 7 Maryland (1/1/26).
Across her time at Illinois, Green has led the Illini to an 85-47 record, including a 39-33 mark in Big Ten play. In four seasons under Green, the Illinois women's basketball team has registered a program-best 85 wins under a head coach in their first four years, the first-ever postseason championship in program history (2024 WBIT), and four consecutive top-5 season attendances in State Farm Center. Additionally, the Illini have racked up nine AP Top 25-ranked wins, secured double-digit home victories for four-straight seasons for the first time in program history, won an NCAA Tournament game in back-to-back seasons, and brought in the No. 7-ranked recruiting class by espnW ahead of the 2025-26 campaign.
In 2025-26, the Orange and Blue continued the program's upward trajectory with another 22-win season (22-12), a fourth-straight postseason appearance, and an NCAA Tournament win in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1998-2000. Green moved into second place on the program's all-time win list during just her fourth season at the helm.
Inside State Farm Center, Fighting Illini Women's Basketball looks to build upon its continued attendance growth. Across the 2025-26 campaign, Illinois recorded a total home attendance of 98,014, marking the second-highest reading in program history. That value ranked fifth in the Big Ten and 15th in the NCAA. An average of 5,766 fans took in each regular season outing in SFC last season, which ranked as the third-best mark in Illinois women's basketball history. Home crowds for the Illini were the fifth-largest in the Big Ten and ranked 14th across the NCAA.
