Illinois hosts Baylor in basketball exhibition Friday, No. 25 Oregon in football Saturday

Sports desk
Friday, Oct. 23, 2026In the Friday, Oct. 23, 2026 edition

CHAMPAIGN - Illinois has two home games this weekend: a men's basketball exhibition against Baylor on Friday night and a football game against Oregon on Saturday afternoon, according to Illinois Athletics' schedules and game preview.

The basketball exhibition starts at 7 p.m. Friday at State Farm Center, with B1G+ listed for television and the Busey Bank Illini Sports Network on radio. Illinois won its first exhibition, 105-96 at Cincinnati.

The football game kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday at Gies Memorial Stadium on Big Ten Network. It is Illinois' annual Military Appreciation Game and the first time Oregon has played in Champaign since 1993, the preview says. Illinois is 3-3 and 1-2 in the Big Ten. Oregon, 4-2 and 2-1, is ranked No. 25 in the Coaches Poll and leads the series 3-1.

The athletics department says nearly 1,000 veterans, active-duty service members and their families are expected through coach Bret Bielema's ticket-matching program. Limited tickets remain, according to the preview.

Source: Illinois Athletics football preview, https://fightingillini.com/news/2026/10/19/football-illinois-hosts-oregon-for-military-appreciation-game; men's basketball schedule, https://fightingillini.com/sports/mens-basketball/schedule (both read Oct. 23, 2026).

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