The Thanksgiving game will showcase the newly revamped Illini basketball team to a wide audience.
It’s now confirmed: Illinois and Arkansas will face off in a nationally televised game on Thanksgiving afternoon (Nov. 28) at T-Mobile Arena in Kansas City, Missouri, as announced by bdG Sports. Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman revealed the matchup during his annual media roundtable in June. The game is set to begin at 3 p.m. CT on CBS, right after the Chicago Bears play the Detroit Lions.
Familiar faces: The game will spotlight Illinois coach Brad Underwood going up against former Illini assistant Chin Coleman, who is now part of the Arkansas staff. Additionally, Arkansas’s first-year head coach John Calipari will face his former assistant Orlando Antigua, who left to rejoin Underwood’s team this offseason.
Brotherly battle: The matchup will include twin brothers and big men, Zvonimir Ivisic (Arkansas) and Tomislav Ivisic (Illinois), going head-to-head.
Series history: Illinois holds a 5-1 all-time record against Arkansas. The Illini lost their most recent meeting, a 73-63 defeat to the Razorbacks in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament. However, Illinois previously won five straight matchups, including four consecutive victories from 2001 to 2004 in a neutral site series held in Chicago and Little Rock.
Why it matters:
This game is one of several key opportunities for the Illini this season, and with the CBS broadcast airing right after an NFL game on Thanksgiving, they will receive significant exposure. Despite returning only two players from last season’s Elite Eight team, Illinois has assembled one of the toughest nonconference schedules in the nation. They will face Alabama in a neutral site game in Birmingham, host Tennessee in Champaign, compete against Duke at Madison Square Garden on February 22, and play their annual Braggin’ Rights Game against Missouri in St. Louis.
Illinois coach Brad Underwood expressed his excitement, stating, “We are thrilled for this opportunity. Competing in Kansas City—a wonderful basketball city that holds a special place in my heart—and facing a formidable opponent like Arkansas, led by Hall of Fame coach Calipari, is a significant challenge for our team. It’s an honor for Illinois Basketball to be showcased on CBS on Thanksgiving Day; we know the sports world will be watching.”
The opponent:
Arkansas is currently ranked No. 13 in CBS Sports’ early college basketball rankings. Calipari returns only one player from last season’s Razorbacks team, which finished with a 16-17 record under Eric Musselman, who has since taken the head coaching position at USC. Arkansas has brought in the top transfer class in the country, featuring Tennessee’s Jonas Aidoo, FAU transfer Johnell Davis, and Kentucky transfers DJ Wagner, Adou Thiero, and Zvonimir Ivisic.
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