University of Illinois
UIS (Exhibition)
October 29, 2026 | Women's Basketball
Preview
| #23/22 Illinois vs. UIS - Exhibition | |
|---|---|
| Date | Time | Friday, Oct. 30, 2026 | 6 p.m. CT |
| Location | Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center |
| Tickets | Single Game | Season |
| Promotions | Halloween Game | Free admission for kids 12 and under wearing a costume | Digital Program |
| Live Stream | B1G+ | B1G+ App | WATCH |
| Radio | Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Listen | Varsity Network App |
| Live Stats | StatBroadcast |
| 2025-26 Stats | Illinois | UIS |
| Game Notes | Illinois |
| Availability/Interviews | Exhibition Preview (10/29/25) | YouTube Playlist |
| Shop | Online Store | Auctions |
| Social Media | @IlliniWBB  | @IlliniWBB  | Facebook  | YouTube  | Fighting Illini App  |
Head Coach Shauna Green
Career Record: 241-122 (.664), 13th season
Division I Record: 212-97 (.686), 11th season
At Illinois: 85-47 (.644), Fifth season
Big Ten Record: 39-33 (.542), Fifth season
LIVE STREAM
Fans unable to attend Friday night's exhibition game can watch Illinois vs. UIS online by purchasing a subscription to B1G+, a streaming service of non-televised events produced by the Big Ten Network in partnership with the Big Ten Conference schools.
Fans who sign up can choose either the monthly rate of $12.99 or the annual rate of $89.99. The B1G+ subscription includes access to live streaming of non-televised games, next day on-demand archives, and access to Big Ten Network's library of Illinois' previous season classics and originals.
OPENING TIP
No. 23/22 Illinois faces Illinois Springfield (UIS) on Friday, Oct. 30, at 6 p.m. CT in State Farm Center for an exhibition. Action will be on B1G+.
The Fighting Illini enter Year 5 under the guidance of Shauna Green. Friday's contest marks the lone preseason tilt open to the public for the Orange and Blue.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
UIS (DII) went 14-14 overall last season and 11-9 in GLVC play. The Prairie Stars enter their third season under head coach Olivia Birt in 2026-27. UIS was picked to finish ninth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) preseason coaches poll.
LAST EXHIBITION
Illinois eased into the fourth year of the Shauna Green era in Champaign with a dominant 79-60 victory over Maryville in the team's lone exhibition game of the 2025-26 campaign. Green used the preseason game to give playing time to 12 different student-athletes, eight of them contributing in the scoring column led by Cearah Parchment's 22.
Green is 4-0 in exhibition games at Illinois.
PRESEASON RANKING
For the second time under head coach Shauna Green, Illinois women's basketball is ranked in the Associated Press Preseason Poll. The Fighting Illini come in at No. 23, matching their 2023-24 ranking under Green.
Prior to the ranking ahead of Green's second season at the helm of the Orange and Blue, Illinois had not appeared in an AP Preseason Top-25 Poll since the 1999-2000 campaign.
The 2026-27 season marks the fifth time in program history that Illinois has appeared in the AP Preseason Poll. Prior to this year, the Illini had appeared ahead of the 1997-98 (No. 7), 1998-99 (No. 25), 1999-2000 (No. 12), 2023-24 (No. 23) campaigns – with the first four occurrences coming under Hall of Fame head coach Theresa Grentz.
Illinois has now appeared in an AP Top-25 poll at some point during the season all five years under Green. The Illini have been ranked in 12 combined AP polls under Green. In 2022-23, the Illini appeared in four Top-25 polls, followed by the preseason rankings in 2023-24, five weeks across 2024-25, on Jan. 12, 2026, and most recently in the 2025-26 preseason ratings.
THE SHAUNA GREEN EFFECT
Illinois' 63 wins through Green's first three seasons match the program record in that span while also marking the most by a head coach in their first three years with the Orange and Blue. Across that period, Illinois is 38-11 at home under Green, and the program has secured double-digit wins in three straight seasons for the first time in program history. The Illini won 11 consecutive games from March 21-Nov. 26, 2024, a new program record and the longest active win streak in the country at the time. Additionally, Illinois strung together a program-record eight-game Big Ten winning streak en route to an 11-7 record in league play.
Illinois' 85 wins through Green's first four seasons are the second-most in a four-year span while also marking the most by a head coach in their first four years with the Orange and Blue. Across that period, Illinois is 51-15 at home under Green, and the program has secured double-digit wins in four straight seasons for the first time in program history. The Illini won 11 consecutive games from Nov. 18, 2025-Jan. 1, 2026, a new single-season program record despite being the youngest team in the Big Ten and third-youngest Power 4 team in the country.
THE RETURN
Envied by many, the Illinois staff has done a remarkable job with roster retention year after year. From the 2025-26 squad, 11-of-14 players with remaining eligibility returned to Illinois for the 2026-27 campaign. In terms of production, that equates to the top nine scorers as well as 99.27% of points scored, 97.65% of minutes played, and 100% of games started.
HOME ATTENDANCE NUMBERS
2022-23: Across 15 home games, Illinois Women's Basketball saw 52,295 fans fill the State Farm Center en route to a 12-3 record. That total attendance ranked 5th in program history and made Shauna Green the only head coach to bring in 50,000 or more fans in her first season with the Illini.
2023-24: In Illinois' season - and home - opener, the attendance of 2,680 marked the largest ticketed season-opening crowd at State Farm Center since 2000 (3,954). In the Illini's 17 home games last season, Illinois finished with a combined attendance of 63,242 for an average of 3,720 a game. 63,242 is now the fifth-best all-time attendance.
2024-25: Illinois' season average finished at 4,967 per game across 17 home regular-season contests. The Illini went 14-3 at State Farm Center this season. Illinois' total attendance of 84,437 during the 2024-25 campaign ranks second-best in a season in program history.
2025-26: Illinois' first attendance of 4,227 was the largest crowd at a home-opener since 1997-98 (8,275). A crowd of 14,361 was called for Field Trip Day, the third-largest mark in program history, and largest ever for both Field Trip Day and a non-conference game. The Feb. 8 game vs. USC was sold out, with all 15,544 tickets purchased to mark the third sellout in program history in SFC and first under Shauna Green. The average attendance finished at 5,766, the third-best mark in program history. The total attendance of 98,014 is the second-highest mark ever.
A FAMILIAR FACE
On May 26, 2026, Coach Green announced the hiring of Simon Harris as an assistant coach. Harris also worked under Green from 2016-18 at Dayton and both were assistants on Dayton's 2014-15 Elite Eight coaching staff.
Most recently, Harris returned to NC State for his second stint as an assistant coach during the 2025-26 campaign. Prior to that, Harris joined the Loyola Chicago staff as an assistant coach from 2023-25. Harris spent the 2021-22 campaign at ETSU, where he was the head coach.
Harris served as an assistant coach at Ohio State from 2020-21 following his first stint at NC State from 2018-20. From 2014-18 the Pittsburgh, Pa., native worked with the Dayton women's program after spending 2011-14 on the men's side.
During his time at UD, he crossed paths with Shauna Green and Calamity McEntire.
