Illinois Releases Season Basketball Schedule

Illinois will open its Big Ten basketball season on New Year's Eve at home against Indiana.

The Illini released the schedule for the 2013-14 season on Wednesday.
 
The Hoosier game will be broadcast on ESPN2. After that important date Illinois will spend the next four games playing Penn State at home, Wisconsin and Northwestern on the road and Purdue in Champaign.

The schedule includes five straight home games to open the regular season. They start Nov. 8 with Alabama State and end Nov. 22 against Chicago State. The Illini also have an in-state game with Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 28.

Later the home conference schedule includes Wisconsin on Feb. 4 and Michigan on March 4.

 Illinois' only date with Northwestern will be in Chicago on Jan. 12.