Illini Basketball and the United Center have had a tremendous history through the years.
Timing and traditions are important. The 24 United Center winter games have established that Illinois plays 1) on a Saturday 2) versus a non-conference opponent.
This season there's Saturday non-conference games vs UNLV, East Tennessee State, & Florida Atlantic. Pick one of those games to continue the United Center tradition. It's easy to predict any of those games would have very low attendance, but if Illinois absolutely positively has to play a UC game this season those are the proper options imho based upon our UC history.
Moving the Ohio State game -- Wednesday against a league opponent -- goes against Illini Basketball's 24-year United Center tradition.
When you have a critical league game against a very good opponent in the middle the week with the students in town, that's a classic home game right there. Play that game in your home arena where you have the very best chance at victory. I don't know what the outcome of the Ohio State game will be no matter where it's played, but I'd like to see us respect the historic traditions of the schedule.
Now please beat Ohio State on Wednesday I'm ready for the crow. Go Illini
Illini Basketball's Non-Conference Game at the United Center-
1994 Sat, Dec 03 L Duke 21,500
1995 Sat, Dec 23 W Cal 15,046
1996 Sat, Dec 21 W UCLA 15,331
1997 Sat, Dec 13 W Clemson 9,282
1998 Sat, Dec 05 W Bradley 11,084
1999 Sat, Dec 18 W Kansas 16,714
2000 Sat, Dec 16 W Arizona 21,885
2001 Sat, Dec 08 W Arkansas 18,671
2002 Sat, Dec 12 W Temple 13,361
2003 Sat, Dec 30 W UIC 15,415
2004 Sat, Dec 11 W Oregon 21,224
2005 Sat, Dec 03 W Xavier 19,833
2006 Sat, Dec 09 W UIC 16,424
2007 Sat, Dec 08 L Arizona 19,573
2008 Sat, Dec 06 W Georgia 12,139
2010 Sat, Jan 02 L Gonzaga 20,917
2010 Sat, Dec 18 L UIC 13,117
2011 Sat, Dec 17 L UNLV 15,144
2012 Sat, Dec 29 W Auburn 18,136
2013 Sat, Dec 28 W UIC 13,017
2014 Sat, Dec 13 L Oregon 13,759
2015 Sat, Dec 12 W UIC 5,151
2016 Sat, Dec 17 W BYU 9,036
2017 Sat, Dec 16 L New Mexico St 5,695