
Illinois entered Saturday's home game against USC ranked 13th in the country and carrying a 4–1 record in Big Ten play. The 11 a.m. local tip offered an opportunity to make a statement and then leave plenty of time for Illini fans to run errands. But once again, the pre-noon start time proved an ominious omen as the Trojans walked out of the State Farm Center with an 82–72 victory.
Illinois is now 2–11 in contests that begin in the morning since the 2020–21 season and have lost nine straight.