Men’s college basketball showdown comes to the City of Fountains when Illinois battles Arkansas. The game, emanating from Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center on Thursday, Nov. 28, will be broadcast live at 3 p.m. CT on CBS and streamed on Paramount+.
Illinois has reloaded its roster under Head Coach Brad Underwood following last season’s run to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight and No. 6 ranking in the final AP poll. The Fighting Illini added five players from the transfer portal in Kylan Boswell (Arizona), Ben Humrichous (Evansville), Tre White (Louisville), Carey Booth (Notre Dame) and Jake Davis (Mercer) and bring in a freshman class that is headlined by top-30 players Will Riley and Morez Johnson Jr. along with Lithuanian guard Kasparas Jakucionis. The list of Illini newcomers also includes 7-1 Tomislav Ivisic, brother to Arkansas’ Zvonimir Ivisic.
“We are thrilled for this opportunity. Playing in Kansas City – a tremendous basketball 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.”
Arkansas enters the new season with high expectations as Hall of Famer John Calipari takes over in Fayetteville. Calipari, men’s college basketball’s winningest active head coach with 855 victories, has brought his magical touch to the Razorbacks by signing three top-50 players in the incoming freshmen class and one of the nation’s top transfer classes led by Johnell Davis (led Florida Atlantic to the Final Four in 2023) and three former Kentucky standout players in D.J. Wagner, Adou Thiero and Zvonimir Ivišic.
“What a great opportunity CBS is giving Arkansas and Illinois. Thanksgiving is a day that gets all of America – whether you are a sports fan or not – watching sports on TV,” Calipari said. “Playing in this time slot will provide tremendous exposure for both programs. Kansas City’s T-Mobile Center is a premier arena that is located close enough that both fan bases can attend. We have a great deal of respect for Coach Underwood and his Illinois program, and we know this game will be one the whole nation will be interested in seeing.”
Illinois and Arkansas will meet for the seventh time, 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 73-63 Razorbacks victory.
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