Preview: Illinois Basketball Clashes with Arkansas on Thanksgiving

Tuesday, 20 August 2024

As families gather for turkey and cranberry sauce, Illinois Basketball will head west to battle Arkansas.

The Fighting Illini are set to stare down the Razorbacks after an emergent 2023 campaign, during which Illinois made a run in the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight and finished sixth in AP poll rankings. This matchup marks the seventh time the two squads will meet in their history, with the Illini owning a 5-1 edge in the all-time series.

The programs last met in the first round of the 2023 NCAA Tournament, a game which ended with a 73-63 Razorbacks victory. Illinois head coach Brent Underwood has emphasized the importance of this Thanksgiving throwdown.

"We are thrilled for this opportunity. Playing in Kansas City - a tremendous basksetball city that is near and dear to me - and taking on a great opponent in Arkansas, led by a Hall of Fame Coach in Coach Calipari, is a big test for our team," Underwood said. "It is an honor for Illinois Basketball to play on CBS on Thanksgiving Day; we know the sports world will be watching."

Illinois has reloaded its roster, and Illinois' success last season seems to have sparked interest in the transfer portal. The Fighting Illini added five players to their roster in Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Ben Humrichous (Evansville), Tre WHite (Louisville), Carey Booth (Notre Dame) and Jake Davis (Mercer) and bring in a freshman class headlined by top-30 players Will Riley and Morez Johnson Jr. along with Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis.

Arkansas is also gearing up for their matchup against the Orange and Blue, following Hall of Famer John Calipari's recent time at the helm. Calipari is now men's college basketball's winningest active head coach with 855 victories to his belt. This addition has also helped spark other additions to the club, the Razorbacks signing three top-50 players in the incoming freshmen class and one of the nation's top transfer classes led by Johnell Davis (helped lead Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023). Arkansas also tacks on three former Kentucky standout players in D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero, and Zvonimir Ivisic.

"We have a great deal of respect for Coach Underwood and his Ilinois program, and we know this game will be one the whole nation will be interested in seeing," Calipari said.

The game, at Kansas City's T-Mobile Center on Thursday, Nov. 28, will be broadcast live at 3 p.m. Central Time. More event information on ticket sales and broadcasting can be found at thanksgivinghoopsshowcase.com and on social media at @bdGlobalSports.

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