Illinois basketball remains to be months away from tipping off, however we’re getting a glimpse of what’s to return for this system.
Final season, the Illini had some fascinating preseason matchups. We went abroad and followers bought to see the crew play towards some European competitors in the summertime. Illinois then got here again residence and weeks earlier than the season began, we took on Kansas in a charity exhibition to assist the victims of the wildfires in Hawaii.
That charity occasion will proceed in 2024. On Friday evening, Jon Rothstein of CBS Sports activities reported that Illinois can be part of a charity exhibition that’s hosted by the Ole Miss Rebels.
Sources: Ole Miss will host Illinois in a Charity Exhibition previous to the 2024-25 school basketball season.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) August 16, 2024
There wasn’t a date or trigger that was reported, however the framework for Brad Underwood and Co. to play a recreation they love and to assist out a bunch in want is in place.
Taking part in one other charity recreation this season is superior. The cash raised will go to an excellent trigger, very similar to the Kansas recreation final yr. I couldn’t discover a definitive quantity, however in a quote from Invoice Self after the sport, the charity occasion final season raised “properly north of 1,000,000 {dollars}.”
I’m excited to see the place the cash goes this time round. I’m additionally excited to see Illinois play towards good competitors in exhibition video games. It type of reveals you the place this system is at early on.
Within the recreation towards Kansas, Illinois was capable of take down the then-No. 1 crew within the nation. It was a fairly large deal. On prime of that, it was Hunter Dickinson’s first recreation with the Jayhawks, and if in case you have been following Illinois for the previous 4 years, you realize the connection between Dickinson and the Orange and Blue.
That win over Kansas was a little bit of a foreshadowing of issues to return. Whereas the charity exhibition towards Ole Miss is simply that, an exhibition, it will likely be fascinating to see how the newly-formed Illini look.
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