Baylor Basketball Set to Travel to Champaign for Preseason Exhibition at Illinois

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Baylor men's basketball will take on the University of Illinois, a predicted top-five preseason team, in an exhibition game at State Farm Center on Friday, Oct. 23.

This will be the first meeting between the Bears and the Illini since December 2020, when then-ranked No. 2 Baylor defeated No. 5 Illinois 82-69 in Indianapolis.

The exhibition will take place two weeks before Baylor opens its 2026-27 season against Northwestern State at 8:30 p.m. at Foster Pavilion in Waco. BU announced its full non-conference schedule in July, and fans can purchase season tickets online at the Baylor Athletics Ticket Office.

Illinois is coming off a Final Four appearance, a 28-9 record and a Big Ten runner-up finish. The Illini are the winningest team in Big Ten play this decade and one of four programs nationally with seven straight 20-win regular seasons. Illinois returns five rotation players while adding a top-15 recruiting class and an impact transfer, and the Illini enter the season ranked in the top five of early preseason polls for 2026-27.

Baylor head coach Scott Drew is entering his 24th season in Waco, making him the fifth-longest-tenured active head coach in the nation. The Bears advanced to the semifinals of the College Basketball Crown last season and aim to build on that run with an influx of new talent. Isaac Williams IV returns as the program's leading scorer at 10.4 points per game, and the Bears will also welcome seasoned transfers Brett Decker (Liberty), Kayden Mingo (Penn State), Isaac Celiscar (Yale) and Evan Chatman (UAB). Baylor will also add a pair of top-40 prospects, including five-star signee Dylan Mingo, the younger brother of Kayden, and four-star standout Elijah Williams.