{
  "id": 7889437,
  "title": "Illinois Women’s Basketball 2026-27 Schedule Tracker",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/illinois-womens-basketball-2026-27-schedule-tracker",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-16T22:43:13.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/illinois-women-basketball-2026-27-224313667.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "In the 2026-27 season, the Illinois women's basketball team will compete in 30 regular-season games, consisting of 18 against Big Ten opponents and 12 non-conference games. Each team will play 18 home games, 20 away games, and two at neutral venues. The Illini will also host one exhibition game against UIS on Friday, October 30th.\n\nThe season kicks off with a home game against UIS on Wednesday, November 4th, marking the opening night. The Illini's first game away is against Southern on Saturday, November 7th. On Sunday, November 15th, Illinois faces SEMO. The team visits Ball State on Wednesday, November 18th.\n\nTwo exhibition games against Baha Mar Hoops teams are scheduled: a Friday, November 27th matchup against Marquette and a Sunday, November 29th game against Saint Joseph's. The season takes a trip east with a Saturday, December 5th contest against Wisconsin.\n\nThe Illini return home for a Monday, December 7th game against Chicago State, followed by a Thursday, December 10th matchup against Missouri. The season visits Evansville on Sunday, December 13th, and Western Illinois on Friday, December 18th. On Sunday, December 20th, Illinois faces Old Dominion at home.\n\nThe Illini play Iowa on Tuesday, December 29th at home, then travel to Rutgers for a Saturday, January 2nd game. The road continues with a Thursday, January 7th contest against Washington, followed by a Sunday, January 10th matchup against Purdue. Ohio State is the opponent on Wednesday, January 13th, with Michigan State on Sunday, January 17th.\n\nMichigan follows on Wednesday, January 20th, with a Saturday, January 23rd game against Northwestern at home. The Illini head east for a Tuesday, January 26th contest against Nebraska, then travel to UCLA on Saturday, January 30th. USC hosts the Illini on Tuesday, February 2nd.\n\nA weekend of home games follows: Northwestern on Sunday, February 7th, Oregon on Saturday, February 13th, and Maryland on Wednesday, February 17th. Indiana is the final opponent of the February 21st Tuesday game. The season culminates with a final home game against Penn State on Thursday, February 25th, followed by a Sunday, February 28th matchup against Minnesota.",
  "summary": "Who will the Fighting Illini face off against this season?",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}