KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee men's basketball announced Tuesday they finalized a home-and-home series with Illinois starting with a game at Thompson-Boling Arena on Dec. 9, 2023.
On Dec. 14, 2024, the Vols will then return to Champaign, Illinois, for a match against the same team. They currently have a 2-1 all-time record against Illinois. However, the teams have not met since Jan. 17, 1988, when Illinois earned a win over the Vols, 103-79.
Before then, the Vols won in 1985 and in 1967, with both games in Knoxville.
Illinois is currently riding a 7-3 record and is ranked No. 18 in this week's AP Top 25 poll, after defeating then-No. 2 Texas. Last season, Illinois won a share of the regular-season Big Ten titled and earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Round of 32.
The new series marks the second addition to Tennessee's 2023-2024 non-conference schedule. Last April, the eight-team field for the 2023 Maui Jim Maui Invitational was revealed, with Tennessee making its fourth all-time appearance at the event between Nov. 20, 2023, through Nov. 22, 2023.
