Illinois men's and women's basketball on Thursday learned their slate of Big Ten Conference opponents for the 2018-19 season, with the Illini men taking part in a 20-game league slate for the first time.
Illinois' men will play a pair of games against seven league enemies, taking on the other six once apiece. The UI women will take part in a home/road pairing with five foes over the course of an 18-game conference schedule while squaring off against the other eight teams just once.
Here are the respective 2018-19 opponents for both programs:
ILLINOIS MEN
Home: Michigan, Michigan State, Rutgers
Away: Iowa, Maryland, Purdue
Home/Away: Indiana, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Ohio State, Penn State, Wisconsin
ILLINOIS WOMEN
Home: Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Rutgers
Away: Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Purdue
Home/Away: Iowa, Maryland, Northwestern, Penn State, Wisconsin
The conference office announced future matchups for all 28 teams, though not specific dates for each event. Scheduled dates will be announced in mid-August, while game times and network information will come out after Labor Day, according to a Big Ten press release.
That press release also noted an aim of making sure "the Big Ten's in-state rivals -- Illinois/Northwestern, Indiana/Purdue, and Michigan/Michigan State -- will play twice on an annual basis" when it came to constructing the 20-game men's league schedules.
Both Illini squads struggled in Big Ten play last season. The men achieved a 4-14 record before falling to Iowa in the Big Ten tournament's first round. The women netted an 0-16 mark ahead of a league tournament first-day defeat against Penn State.