With a four-game win streak under its belt, No. 20 Illinois men’s basketball will be heading to Madison Square Garden in New York City for a Tuesday night showdown against No. 11 Florida Atlantic. This will be the Illini’s third top-25 opponent of the season, with an exhibition win over No. 1 Kansas and a regular season loss to No. 4 Marquette rounding out the ranked fixtures.
“It’s an honor to be a part of this event,” said head coach Brad Underwood. “To be here two years in a row is very exciting, not just to play in the Garden, not just to play Florida Atlantic who’s a Final Four team. (But) to be a part of the Jimmy V, to be a part of something bigger than the game of basketball.”
The Jimmy V Classic is an event hosted by ESPN that aims to raise money and awareness for cancer awareness while pitting four elite college basketball teams against one another. This year, in addition to Illinois versus Florida Atlantic, the event will see North Carolina take the floor against UConn. For the Illini, it is a chance to not only earn a seventh regular season win, but it is also a chance at redemption against a top-25 opponent.
A return to Madison Square Garden will bring a plethora of good memories back into the minds of the Illini, who competed at the venue just last season. Tuesday night will be the second year in a row that the program appears at this event, with Illinois pulling off a memorable upset over No. 2 Texas at the Garden.
“No doubt, this is as big a game as there is at least in the first semester,” Underwood said. “Itʼs on ESPN, itʼs promoted like crazy and youʼve got four very, very good teams participating in the Jimmy V.”
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The showdown also has potential historical significance for Illinois, as Tuesday will serve as an opportunity for revenge against FAU. The Illini were beaten in the only clash between the two back during the 2018-19 season, where the Owls claimed a 73-71 overtime victory in Champaign.
While Underwood’s squad will need to be on top of their game in NYC, they certainly have wind in their sails heading into the matchup. Illinois pulled off a massive 18-point drumming of Rutgers away in New Jersey previously, and a 1-0 start to Big Ten play will undoubtedly have team morale high heading into Madison Square Garden.
Illinois (6-1 overall, 1-0 conference) will continue its away road trip on the east coast against Florida Atlantic (7-1) on Tuesday night. The game will air on ESPN for a 5:30 CT tipoff.
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