How to Watch Illinois vs. FDU (Season Opener)
Odds: Fourth-Highest Odds to win national title
Quick Hits:
Illinois Fighting Illini (0-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Head Coach: Brad Underwood (10th season)
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2025-26: 28-9 (15-5 Big Ten); lost in Final Four to UCONN
FDU Knights (0-0, 0-0 NEC)
Head coach: Jack Castleberry (4th season)
What Happened the Last Time These Two Teams Played?
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Illinois leads the all-time series 2-0.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — When the adversity around the program was at an all-time high, every single Illini stepped up.
After leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr. was suspended indefinitely following his arrest, short-handed Illinois played its first game in a week in front of a sold-out crowd at State Farm Center.
This game meant much more than anyone could’ve imagined just a few days ago. With all the adversity surrounding head coach Brad Underwood’s guys, they responded emphatically on Friday night.
Without their best scorer and ball handler, the Illini struggled offensively in the first half. However, emergences from Dain Dainja and Justin Harmon (37 combined points) put Illinois up big.
From there, balanced play, dominance on the glass and efficient shooting carried Illinois past Fairleigh Dickinson, 104-71.
“This is the most connected group of players that I’ve coached,” Underwood said. “That showed tonight.”
As expected, Shannon’s absence was going to impact every facet of Illinois’ (10-2, 1-0 Big Ten) game. While it led to some initial growing pains in the offense’s flow, it also gave others a chance to see increased roles.
Harmon took advantage of the opportunity late in the first half, as an offensive explosion — 14 points in a two-minute span — and paint dominance from Dainja (15 first-half points) put Illinois up 20 heading into the locker room.
The two stepped up, but they were only a small part of the six players on the team in double figures on Friday.
