#10 Illinois Hosts #3 Michigan Friday in Top-10 Battle at State Farm Center

#10 ILLINOIS (22-6, 13-4 B1G) vs. #3 Michigan (26-2, 16-1 B1G)
Date | Time	Friday, Feb. 27, 2026 | 7 p.m. CT
Location	Champaign, Ill. | State Farm Center
Buy Tickets	Sold Out | Purchase on SeatGeek
Promotions	Fighting Illini 500 presented by Toyota | Illinois X ONE PIECE
TV	FOX (Jason Benetti & Bill Raftery)
Live Stream	FoxSports.com/live
Radio	Busey Bank Illini Sports Network | Varsity Network App | SiriusXM 84, SXM APP
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Printable Notes	Illinois | Michigan
Pregame Press Conference	Coach Underwood (Feb. 26)
2025-26 Stats	Illinois | Michigan
Record Book	Illinois | Big Ten | NCAA
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Head Coach Brad Underwood

Career Record: 296-134 (.688), 13th year
At Illinois: 187-107 (.636), 9th year
Big Ten: 105-70 (.600)

Series History vs. Michigan

All-Time Record / Streak: Illinois leads 96-85 / Illinois W-9
Last Meeting: Illinois 93, #15 Michigan 73 (3/2/2025 in Ann Arbor)
Record in Champaign / Streak: Illinois leads 60-28 / Illinois W-4
Last Meeting in Champaign: #14 Illinois 97, Michigan 68 (2/13/2024)
Underwood vs. Michigan at Illinois / All-Time: 9-2 / 9-3

OPENING TIPS

• No. 10 Illinois opens a two-game homestand on Friday night with a Top-10 matchup against No. 3 Michigan. 
• Illinois carries a nine-game winning streak vs. Michigan (began Dec. 11, 2019), including four straight at home.
• In facing No. 3 Michigan, Illinois is looking for its highest-ranked win since beating No. 2 Texas on Dec. 6, 2022, its highest-ranked Big Ten win since a 76-53 rout at No. 2 Michigan on March 2, 2021, and its highest-ranked home win since upsetting No. 1 Indiana on Feb. 7, 2013 on a Tyler Griffey layup at the buzzer.
• Illinois has defeated two Top-5 teams entering the game against No. 3 Michigan, with wins at No. 4 Purdue and at No. 5 Nebraska. The school record for Top-5 wins in a season is three, set by the 1951-52 Illini squad. 
• Friday will mark the first game in 20 years at State Farm Center with both teams ranked in the Top 10, since No. 6 Illinois beat No. 7 Michigan State on Jan. 5, 2006, behind Dee Brown's career-high 34 points. 
• Keaton Wagler ranks third in the latest Kenpom Player of the Year standings and first among Big Ten players, ahead of Michigan's Yaxel Lendeborg (4), Purdue's Braden Smith (6), and Michigan State's Jeremy Fears (8). 
• Wagler has totaled 509 points to set the Illini freshman scoring record. Saturday at UCLA, he broke the previous program record of 494 points set by Cory Bradford in 1998-99 and equaled by Kasparas Jakucionis last year.
• Illinois leads the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (133.0), owning what currently stands as the highest offensive rating in the history of the kenpom era (since 1996-97). 
• Illinois has six Quad 1A wins, tied for most in the NCAA with Duke and Kansas.
• Illinois' four Big Ten losses are by a combined nine points, with three occurring in overtime and two at the buzzer. 
• Illinois has won at least 13 Big Ten games five times in the last seven seasons, as head coach Brad Underwood accounts for five of the eight-winningest Big Ten seasons in program history with a school-record 16 wins in 2021, 15 in 2022, 14 in 2024, and 13 in both 2020 and 2026.
• Illinois has secured its seventh straight 20-win regular season under Brad Underwood. Illinois, Gonzaga, and Houston are the only three programs to win at least 20 regular season games every year since 2019-20.

WAGLER'S WORLD

• Illini star Keaton Wagler's rapid ascent during his freshman season has been remarkable for an unheralded recruit. Now contending for Big Ten Player of the Year and All-America honors, the Shawnee, Kansas native was ranked 150th by 247Sports and 179th by Rivals in the Class of 2025, and he had just two high-major offers before committing to the Fighting Illini.
• Wagler is currently ranked No. 3 in the kenpom national player of the year standings, and first among B1G players.
• Among players with at least 24% possessions used, Wagler ranks first nationally in offensive rating at 135.2. 
• In what is being recognized as one of the most talented freshman classes in college basketball history, Wagler is one of only two first-year players in the nation averaging at least 18.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 4.0 assists on the season, along with Duke's Cameron Boozer.
• Since moving to the point guard position at the beginning of December, Wagler is averaging 20.1 points, 4.9 rebounds and 5.3 assists over the last 20 games on 46.3% shooting from the field, 43.9% from three, and 81.4% from the line, while leading the Illini to a 16-4 record during this stretch.
• Wagler has scored in double figures in each of the last 20 games, and team-leading 25 times on the season.
• Wagler ranks fifth in the Big Ten in scoring during conference play, averaging 20.7 points.
• Wagler ranks second in the Big Ten in 3-point field goal shooting at 42.0% (68-162).
• Wagler has netted 509 points on the season, breaking the Illinois freshman season scoring record. He eclipsed the mark of 494 points set by Cory Bradford in 1998-99 and equaled by Kasparas Jakucionis last year. 
• Wagler's overall scoring average of 18.2 points per game is on pace to break the Illini freshman scoring  average record set by Kiwane Garris, who averaged 15.9 ppg in 1993-94.
• Wagler has eight 20+-point games this season, closing in on the Illini freshman record of 10 set last year by Kasparas Jakucionis, who is now a rookie with the Miami Heat.
• After scoring 34 on Feb. 10 vs. Wisconsin to go with his 46 points at Purdue on Jan. 24, Wagler joined Kiwane Garris as the only two freshmen in Illini history with multiple 30+-point games. 
• Wagler has earned a conference-leading six Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors this season. His six awards are the second-most in school history behind Kofi Cockburn (7) in 2019-20. 
• Wagler has been named to the Naismith Trophy Late-Season Team, and was added to Midseason Watch Lists for the Wooden Award (Top 20) and Jerry West Shooting Guard of the Year Award (Top 10). He was also named the Oscar Robertson High-Major Player of the Month for January by the U.S. Basketball Writers Association.
• Wagler earned National Player of the Week honors on Jan. 26 following one of the greatest scoring performances in college basketball history with a record 46 points in the Illini's win at No. 4 Purdue (see p. 3 for full list of Wagler's records set).

ILLINI ITEMS

• The Illini were projected as a No. 2 seed, seventh overall, when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee revealed its top 16 teams on Saturday. Michigan was tabbed as the overall No. 1 seed in the initial rankings.   
• Illinois has eight Quad 1 wins, tied for fifth in the NCAA (through games played Feb. 25). Six of Illinois' eight wins in this category are Quad 1A, tied for most in the nation with Duke and Kansas.
• Illinois is No. 4 overall in the NET rankings, second in the Big Ten behind Michigan (1). Illinois is 13-6 on the season combined in Quad 1 and Quad 2 games, and 9-0 combined in Quad 3 and Quad 4 matchups.
• Illinois is currently ranked No. 4 in kenpom, matching the highest rating of the Brad Underwood era. The Illini finished the 2020-21 season at No. 4.
• Illinois is 13-2 at home this season, the program's best mark since going 15-2 at State Farm Center in 2022-23. The Illini are averaging 87.5 points at home this year, with an average scoring margin of +22.1 ppg.
• Illinois leads the nation in adjusted offensive efficiency (133.0). Offensive coordinator Tyler Underwood has helped Brad Underwood implement a top-15 offense for the third straight season after ranking third in 2024 (125.5) and 14th last year (121.9).
• Illinois is No. 10 in the latest AP poll. The Illini are ranked in the top 10 for the fifth consecutive week, and sixth week overall this season. Illinois has been ranked in the AP Top 25 in each of the last seven seasons under Brad Underwood, and in every ranking released so far this season. 
• Illinois' 13-4 Big Ten record is its best in the Underwood era since finishing 16-4 in 2020-21. Illinois played the full B1G schedule that year and led the league in wins, but U-M (14-3) was awarded the regular season championship with a 0.024 edge in win percentage. Illinois then won the 2021 Big Ten Tournament title. 
• Illinois is the only team to finish above .500 in Big Ten play every year since 2019-20.
• The Illini have the most wins in Big Ten play since 2019-20 with 94 victories. During that span, Illinois also leads all teams with 41 league road wins. 
• When including the conference tournament, the Illini have a league-leading 101 wins over Big Ten teams the last seven seasons, and are tied for the lead with three B1G championships during that span.  
• Illinois is 9-4 away from home this season, and 7-2 in true road games, all in Big Ten play.
• Illinois is the tallest team in the nation, with an average height of 80.0 inches (kenpom).
• Four Fighting Illini average at least 12 points per game, tied for the most nationally: Keaton Wagler (18.2 ppg), Kylan Boswell (13.9), Andrej Stojakovic (13.8), and David Mirkovic (12.7). 
• Illinois is the only team in the nation with seven players averaging at least 4.0 rebounds (minimum 15 games): David Mirkovic (7.7 rpg), Tomislav Ivisic (5.7), Keaton Wagler (5.0), Zvonimir Ivisic (5.0), Andrej Stojakovic (4.5), Kylan Boswell (4.4), and Ben Humrichous (4.2) 
• Illinois is first in the nation in defensive free throw rate (19.4), and second in fewest fouls per game (13.3).
• Illinois ranks fifth in the NCAA and first in the Big Ten with a free-throw percentage of 79.2%. Last year the Illini shot 76.2% at the free-throw line, the second-best season mark in school history behind the 2014-15 team that holds the single-season record at 79.4%. 
• Illinois ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring, averaging 85.1 points. The Illini led the B1G in scoring last season (83.6 ppg). 
• Along with the No. 1-rated offense (133.1) of the kenpom era, the Illini are No. 29 in defense (98.9) this year.
• Illinois is averaging 16.1 second chance points per game (450), which leads the Big Ten.
• Illinois leads the Big Ten averaging 11.3 three-pointers and has made 10+ 3-pointers in a Big Ten-leading 21 games this season with a 16-5 record. 
• The Illini have knocked down at least 10 triples in 17 of the last 20 games, highlighted by school-record tying 18 treys in the win at No. 4 Purdue (Jan. 24), and 17 threes in the team's home win vs. Northwestern (Feb. 4). 
• Illinois has outrebounded its opponent in 25 of 28 games this season and ranks second in the Big Ten (sixth nationally) in rebound margin at +10.6 rpg. Illinois is 21-4 when it wins the battle on the glass.
• Eight different players have been the Illini's leading scorer in a game this season. That ranks first in the Big Ten and is tied for fifth nationally behind Illinois State, George Washington, Tarleton State, and VCU (9).
• Illinois is No. 4 in the kenpom rankings with an adjusted efficiency margin +33.89. The Illini have had a kenpom rating of 35th or better each of the last six years under Brad Underwood, and have matched the team's high ranking of No. 4 to close out the 2020-21 season. Illinois posted consecutive top-20 rankings the last two seasons: 10th in 2023-24 and 17th in 2024-25.
• At its current scoring pace (85.1 ppg), this year's Illini are challenging to become just the sixth team in program history to average at least 85.0 points for a full season. The Illini opened the 2025-26 campaign with seven straight games of 80+ points. It marked the most such games to open a campaign since the 1988-89 Flyin' Illini scored 80+ in each of their first 12 contests.   
• Brad Underwood has led Illinois to 32 wins over top-25 opponents since 2019-20, with 23 of those wins coming in ranked-vs.-ranked matchups. Illinois' 32 top-25 victories are ninth-most in the NCAA during that span. This season the Illini have ranked wins over No. 11 Texas Tech at home, vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville, at No. 19 Iowa, at No. 4 Purdue, and at No. 5 Nebraska.  
• Illinois is 5-4 this season vs. AP Top 25 teams and faces its next ranked opponent Friday vs. No. 3 Michigan.
• As a team, Illinois ranks in the top three in the Big Ten, and among the top 50 programs nationally in 12 categories: The Illini lead the Big Ten with 13.3 fouls per game (second in the NCAA), a .792 free-throw percentage (fifth), 11.3 3-pointers per game (seventh), 31.6 3-point attempts per game (10th), 41.2 total rebounds per game (11th), and 13.4 offensive rebounds per game (21st), and rank second in the league with a +10.6 rebound margin (sixth in the NCAA), a +16.1 scoring margin (ninth), 9.1 turnovers per game (ninth), and a scoring offense of 85.1 points per game (22nd). The Illini are third in the B1G with 27.8 defensive rebounds per game (17th in the NCAA), and 4.9 blocks per game (22nd).  
• Andrej Stojakovic is the second active Illini to reach 1,000 career points, reaching the milestone Jan. 17 vs. Minnesota. Stojakovic now has 1,115 points to rank behind Kylan Boswell (1,229) in the 1,000-point club.
• Illinois has claimed seven of 14 Big Ten Freshman of the Week selections this season. Keaton Wagler leads the Big Ten with six honors, while David Mirkovic has garnered two nods. 
• Freshman G Keaton Wagler has scored in double-figures in 20 consecutive games dating back to the Illini's win over No. 13 Tennessee on Dec. 6, including an historic 46-point outburst in a win at No. 4 Purdue on Jan. 24 (more on p. 3). During that stretch, Wagler is averaging a team-leading 20.1 points per game, and ranks third in rebounding at 4.9 boards per contest, while shooting 46.3% (119-257) overall, 43.9% (58-132) from 3-point range, and 81.4% (105-129) from the free-throw line. Wagler also leads the team with 105 assists and 18 steals during that stretch. 
• Keaton Wagler leads the Illini and ranks among the Big Ten leaders with: a .420 3-point percentage (2nd), 176 free-throw attempts (4th), 143 free-throws made (5th), 68 3-pointers made (6th), 509 total points (7th), 2.43 3-pointers per game (8th), 18.2 points per game (9th), 121 total assists (10th), 327 field goal attempts (11th), 162 3-point attempts (11th), 4.3 assists per game (11th), and 149 field goals made (13th). Wagler also ranks 11th in the Big Ten minutes per game at 33:15.  
• Freshman F David Mirkovic is one of only three freshmen in the nation, along with Duke's Cameron Boozer and North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, averaging at least 12.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists. 
• A two-time Big Ten Freshman of the Week, David Mirkovic leads the Illini and ranks among the Big Ten leaders with: 215 total rebounds (5th), 7.7 total rebounds per game (5th), 5.3 defensive rebounds per game (6th), 2.4 offensive rebounds per game (10th), five double-doubles (12th). Mirkovic is also fourth on the team with a .789 free-throw percentage (26th in B1G), and a scoring average of 12.7 ppg (36th). 
• Senior G Kylan Boswell is the Illini's active career leader with 1,229 career points (721 at Illinois), with eight 20+ point games and 38 career double-digit scoring games in Orange and Blue. Boswell has eclipsed the 20-point mark eight times over the last two years, including five times this season. 
• Junior G Andrej Stojakovic transferred to Illinois with a reputation as a prolific scorer and is averaging 14.0 points on 50.2% shooting. Stojakovic has six games this season with 20+ points, highlighted by 30 points vs. Maryland and 26 points vs. No. 11 Alabama. Stojakovic also posted 23 points the win over No. 11 Texas Tech, and scored 20 and 24, respectively, in Illinois' wins over LIU and UTRGV. In Big Ten play, Stojakovic scored 22 in the Illini's 101-65 victory at USC. Stojakovic has led the Illini in scoring in seven games this season. 
• Twin 7-footers Tomislav Ivisic and Zvonimir Ivisic rank among the top shooting big men in college basketball. Tomislav is first in the NCAA among 7-footers with 13 games this season with multiple 3-pointers, while Zvonimir is tied for second with nine such games. Tomislav also leads the NCAA among 7-footers at 1.6 3-pointers per game, while Zvonimir ranks tied for fourth at 1.0 triples per contest.
• Zvonimir Ivisic, a member of the Naismith Defensive Player of the Year watch list, ranks third nationally in block rate at 13.7%. He is second in the Big Ten in total blocks (64) and blocks per game (2.3), 13th and 16th in the nation, respectively. His average would rank second all-time in Illinois' record book behind Derek Holcomb (3.0 bpg in 1978-79). The last Illini to average more than two blocks was Nnanna Egwu (2.1 bpg) in 2013-14.
• Ben Humrichous and Jake Davis have been steady role players in helping the Illini to the nation's most efficient offense. Humrichous is ranked No. 1 by kenpom with a turnover rate of 4.0%, and has committed just five turnovers on the year, first nationally among players with at least 500 minutes played. Davis ranks second on that list with just six turnovers. Among all players, regardless of usage rate, Davis (145.9) and Ben Humrichous (136.9), rank third and 13th in the country, respectively, in offensive efficiency rating by kenpom.

ILLINOIS VS. MICHIGAN

• Friday is the 182nd meeting in the series between Illinois and Michigan dating back 107 years to the 1918-19 season. Illinois holds a 96-85 lead with a 60-28 mark in home games vs. the Wolverines.  
• Illinois has won nine straight games in the series, including four in a row at State Farm Center, since the 2019-20 season. The Illini's current nine-game streak is the team's longest vs. Michigan since a run of 11 consecutive wins from 2000-06. 
• In last year's matchup, a 93-73 win for the Illini over the #15 Wolverines in Ann Arbor, Tre White posted a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Kylan Boswell and Kasparas Jakucionis each scored 17, and Will Riley chipped in with 13 points.  
• In Michigan's last visit to Champaign, the 14th-ranked Fighting Illini trailed for only 10 seconds in a 97-68 route of the Wolverines. Terrence Shannon Jr. hit five 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 31 points. Coleman Hawkins (17), Marcus Domask (13), and Quincy Guerrier (10) also posted double-digit points for Illinois. 
• Brad Underwood is 9-2 vs. Michigan at Illinois and 9-3 vs. the Wolverines, overall. In 2016-17, while at Oklahoma State, Underwood and the 10th-seeded Cowboys fell, 92-91, to seventh-seeded Michigan in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament in Indianapolis. 

ILLINI IN THE NET

• Illinois is No. 4 in the NCAA NET ranking though games played Feb. 24. 
• The Illini's No. 4 rating ranks second in the Big Ten behind Michigan (2). 
• The Illini are 8-5 vs. Quad 1, 6-1 vs. Quad 2, 3-0 vs. Quad 3, and 5-0 vs. Quad 4.
• Illinois' eight Quad 1 wins are tied for fourth nationally. 
• Illinois has six Quad 1A victories, tied for the national lead with Duke and Kansas. 
• The Illini's remaining three-game regular-season schedule breaks down to one Quad 1, followed by a pair of Quad 3s to close: 
  » Quad 1 (1): vs. Michigan (2).  
  » Quad 3 (2): vs. Oregon (114), and at Maryland (142).   

ILLINOIS WHEN RANKED

• The No. 10 Illini have played all 28 games this season ranked in the Top 25. 
• Illinois is 674-273 (.712) all-time in 947 games when ranked in the AP Top 25. The program is 368-55 at home, including a 290-42 mark at State Farm Center, 166-152 on the road, and 140-64 at neutral sites. 
• Under head coach Brad Underwood, Illinois is 112-49 (.696) when ranked.

ILLINI WHEN TOP-10 RANKED

• Illinois is ranked in the AP top 10 for the 248th week in program history, including six weeks this season. 
• Illinois is 333-111 (.750) all-time in 444 games when ranked in the AP top 10. 
• When top-10 ranked, the Illini are 174-12 at home (114-8 at State Farm Center), 84-74 on the road, and 75-25 in neutral-site contests.
• Under Brad Underwood, Illinois is 27-14 (.659) when ranked in the top 10.

ILLINI IN TOP-25 MATCHUPS

• The No. 10 Illini have played nine ranked-vs.-ranked games this season, owning a 5-4 mark with wins over No. 11 Texas Tech, vs. No. 13 Tennessee in Nashville, at No. 19 Iowa, at No. 4 Purdue, and at No. 5 Nebraska.  
• Illinois is 116-112 (.509) all-time in 228 games when both teams are ranked, 52-22 (.703) at home including a 41-17 (.707) mark at State Farm Center, 21-52 (.288) on the road, and 43-38 (.531) at neutral sites. 
• Illinois is 23-25 (.479) in ranked-vs.-ranked contests in the Brad Underwood era.

ILLINI VS. TOP-5 OPPONENTS

• Friday vs. #3 Michigan is Illinois' fourth game against a Top 5 team this season. Illinois is 2-1 vs. Top 5 foes with Big Ten road wins at #4 Purdue and at #5 Nebraska, and a nonconference loss to #5 UConn at Madison Square Garden. 
• Illinois is 31-98 (.509) all-time in 129 games against Top 5 opponents, 15-30 (.333) at home including a 10-26 (.278) mark at State Farm Center, 8-43 (.157) on the road, and 8-25 (.242) at neutral sites. 
• Illinois is 7-15 (.318) vs. Top 5 opponents in the Brad Underwood era. 
• Entering Friday, Illinois has lost four straight home games vs. Top 5 opponents. The Illini's last Top 5 home win was a 71-62 victory over No. 5 Michigan on Dec. 11, 2019.

Complete Illinois Game Notes (PDF)