Top 5 Must-Watch Matchups for Illinois Basketball in 2024-25

With Alabama up Wednesday night, the Illini finally sink their teeth into the meat of a hearty schedule

Illinois players huddle up on the floor of the State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois, during last week's win over Oakland. / University of Illinois

Two of the main topics of discussion during the offseason for No. 25 Illinois (3-0) were the Illini's significant roster churn and the gauntlet of a schedule coach Brad Underwood had locked in for the 2024-25 season. Where the conversation really got interesting, however, was speculation over how those two things would ultimately interact – and the wisdom of testing it at all.

It's too late to reconsider now, of course, as the Illini stare down the barrel of Wednesday's matchup with No. 8 Alabama (3-1), a bear whose poking by Purdue seems incredibly poorly timed for the Illini. But as Underwood has intimated many times since Illinois' post-Elite Eight exit from the NCAA Tournament, his Illini are now playing for the highest stakes. College basketball's SIU-Edwardsvilles and Oaklands don't ready you for UConn when all the chips are on the table in early April.

Men's basketball is in Alabama, but where are you?

Tell us where you're watching the game from tonight 🔸🔹#Illini | #HTTO pic.twitter.com/14wosTcFQK

— Illinois Athletics (@IlliniAthletics) November 20, 2024

And because so much of the fun is just getting there, it'll be a ball to watch how this fresh-faced Illinois outfit comes together across a schedule teeming with college basketball blueblood opponents and apex mountains to climb. Starting with Wednesday's (sort of) neutral-site showdown, here are the Illini's top-five can't-miss matchups – featuring current rankings – of 2024-25:

No. 8 Alabama in Birmingham, Alabama (Wednesday)

Despite last week's defeat in West Lafayette, Indiana, the Tide still may prove to be the most challenging opponent the Illini face all season. Bama guard Mark Sears is a star, and he and his enormous and athletic teammates are going to change the pace and potency of competition for Illinois in a big way Wednesday.

No. 20 Arkansas in Kansas City, Missouri (Nov. 28)

The brother-against-brother clash between twins Tomislav Ivisic (Illinois) and Zvonimir Ivisic (Arkansas) figures to be some of the most compelling theater a college basketball fan can hope to witness during the regular season. The twin 7-foot towers have greatly influenced one another, but all anyone watching on Thanksgiving will be interested in is seeing who gets the better of whom.

Missouri in St. Louis (Dec. 22)

The Tigers aren't expected to be competitive on the national scene this season, but weird stuff tends to happen in the annual Border War. The team's have traded off as blowout winners each of the past four seasons, yet during a recent five-year stretch of Illini wins, their average margin of victory was a narrow 4.8 points. St. Louis – site of all but one of the past 43 episodes in this rivalry game – will be in full vibration as usual.

No. 12 Duke in New York City (Feb. 22)

A chance to match two of the best freshman classes in the nation, including likely No. 1 overall NBA Draft selection Cooper Flagg, will be well worth the price of admission – whether it's a seat at the mecca of Madison Square Garden or a barcalounger parked in front of a flatscreen tuned to FOX.

No. 6 Purdue in Champaign (March 7)

If the college basketball gods truly love us, the Illini will be facing the Boilermakers at the State Farm Center in both teams' final game ahead of postseason play with a Big Ten regular-season championship on the line. Even with Zach Edey no longer wreaking havoc in the middle for Purdue, Matt Painter has put together another potential Goliath, led by guard Braden Smith and a bunch of tough-as-leather running mates.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

How to Watch: Illinois Basketball vs. Alabama (Game 4)

3 Big Questions for Illinois Basketball vs. Alabama

Illinois Basketball vs. Alabama: Scouting the Crimson Tide

Illinois' Top 5 Non-Con Wins of Brad Underwood Era – With Alabama Looming