Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
You can answer this as detailed as you would like - anything from one single example of a series you wish we would set up all the way to laying out opponents game by game!
To simplify, this is the APPROXIMATE distribution of our last couple of non-conference schedules. Obviously the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is toast now, but I included it as a sort of "placeholder" for whatever people would want to take its place.
11-12 Total Games
5-6 games vs. "Cupcakes"
2-3 games in a November tournament (usually at least somewhat around Thanksgiving)
1 game for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge
1 game for Braggin' Rights
1 game vs. a Power Five opponent (separately scheduled series or sometimes the Gavitt Tipoff Games)
People don't have to get this detailed, but just for fun here is our schedule last year in order, using those classifications and excluding the December Big Ten games:
2022-23 Illini Non-Conference Schedule
(1) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Eastern Illinois)
(2) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Kansas City)
(3) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Monmouth)
(4) November Tournament (vs. UCLA in Las Vegas, NV)
(5) November Tournament (vs. Virginia in Las Vegas, NV)
(6) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Lindenwood)
(7) Big Ten/ACC Challenge (vs. Syracuse in Champaign)
(8) Power Five Opponent (vs. Texas in New York, NY)
(9) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Alabama A&M)
(10) Braggin' Rights (vs. Missouri in St. Louis, MO)
(11) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Bethune-Cookman)
For me personally, I would love this:
(1) vs. Cupcake in Champaign
(2) vs. Cupcake in Champaign
(3) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (preferably a step up from the first two and maybe an instate school)
(4) and (5) November Tournament ... Maui is my favorite, but it obviously can't happen every year. The only one I hate is that lame one in the Bahamas with the absolutely hideous court that is like in a hotel conference room...
(6) Cupcake in Champaign (a bad one so we can warm up for Game #7)
(7) Big Ten/Big XII Challenge to replace our previous one
(8) Cupcake in Champaign (a bit of a rest while the guys are dealing with finals)
(9) Braggin' Rights around Christmas, obviously! Don't EVER let this die, and do not EVER move it from St. Louis!
(10) Cupcake in Champaign (between Christmas and New Year's)
(11) Power Five Opponent at the United Center ... yes, it's partly selfish, but I also really do think it's an amazing recruiting tool, it helps us to get used to neutral floors (especially one the BTT will be on in a lot of years), it claims Chicago as OUR turf and history shows that it draws a great crowd when we are good (a decent Illini team has never drawn less than the capacity of State Farm Center).
I would also love another home-and-home series with Arizona (we have an astonishing amount of history with them for being in different conferences and far away), Tennessee and other programs like that instead of the Big Ten/Big XII Challenge, but a "challenge" event guarantees you a cool game.
To simplify, this is the APPROXIMATE distribution of our last couple of non-conference schedules. Obviously the Big Ten/ACC Challenge is toast now, but I included it as a sort of "placeholder" for whatever people would want to take its place.
11-12 Total Games
5-6 games vs. "Cupcakes"
2-3 games in a November tournament (usually at least somewhat around Thanksgiving)
1 game for the Big Ten/ACC Challenge
1 game for Braggin' Rights
1 game vs. a Power Five opponent (separately scheduled series or sometimes the Gavitt Tipoff Games)
People don't have to get this detailed, but just for fun here is our schedule last year in order, using those classifications and excluding the December Big Ten games:
2022-23 Illini Non-Conference Schedule
(1) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Eastern Illinois)
(2) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Kansas City)
(3) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Monmouth)
(4) November Tournament (vs. UCLA in Las Vegas, NV)
(5) November Tournament (vs. Virginia in Las Vegas, NV)
(6) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Lindenwood)
(7) Big Ten/ACC Challenge (vs. Syracuse in Champaign)
(8) Power Five Opponent (vs. Texas in New York, NY)
(9) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Alabama A&M)
(10) Braggin' Rights (vs. Missouri in St. Louis, MO)
(11) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (Bethune-Cookman)
For me personally, I would love this:
(1) vs. Cupcake in Champaign
(2) vs. Cupcake in Champaign
(3) vs. Cupcake in Champaign (preferably a step up from the first two and maybe an instate school)
(4) and (5) November Tournament ... Maui is my favorite, but it obviously can't happen every year. The only one I hate is that lame one in the Bahamas with the absolutely hideous court that is like in a hotel conference room...
(6) Cupcake in Champaign (a bad one so we can warm up for Game #7)
(7) Big Ten/Big XII Challenge to replace our previous one
(8) Cupcake in Champaign (a bit of a rest while the guys are dealing with finals)
(9) Braggin' Rights around Christmas, obviously! Don't EVER let this die, and do not EVER move it from St. Louis!
(10) Cupcake in Champaign (between Christmas and New Year's)
(11) Power Five Opponent at the United Center ... yes, it's partly selfish, but I also really do think it's an amazing recruiting tool, it helps us to get used to neutral floors (especially one the BTT will be on in a lot of years), it claims Chicago as OUR turf and history shows that it draws a great crowd when we are good (a decent Illini team has never drawn less than the capacity of State Farm Center).
I would also love another home-and-home series with Arizona (we have an astonishing amount of history with them for being in different conferences and far away), Tennessee and other programs like that instead of the Big Ten/Big XII Challenge, but a "challenge" event guarantees you a cool game.