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Illinois recently took several hits to their non-conference schedule with news of their game against Arizona getting delayed and then the announcement that they would not be participating in the Emerald Coast Classic. However, Illinois looks to be set to host an event in Champaign to kick off the upcoming season.
Source: Illinois will host its own MTE in Champaign from November 25-27. Event will feature four teams and three games in a round-robin format.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) October 5, 2020
According to Jon Rothstein the Illini will host a round robin tournament from November 25-27 involving three more yet to be announced schools. The event will have all four schools play each other. Also, with the reported date of the event starting on the 25th, it appears that this will be the season opener for Illinois.
As of right now the Big Ten is still planning on playing a 20 game conference schedule, but the non-conference slate is up in the air for most schools due to Covid-19. Even more so with many schools trying to remain at home and limit traveling during the pandemic.
Illinois is still expected to participate in the Big Ten / ACC Challenge versus an unannounced team. The Illini are also a potential candidate to replace Rutgers in the Jimmy V Classic this December, which will take place in Orlando.