College basketball’s ultimate Black Friday special on the men’s level will be staged at Madison Square Garden.
For the Illinois Fighting Illini and the UConn Huskies’ men’s college basketball programs, there’s no discount on this Black Friday.
Fifth-ranked UConn and No. 13 Illinois are set to stage a fantastic follow-up to Thanksgiving action on Friday, destined for a matinee melee under Madison Square Garden’s iconic roof. It’s the lone scheduled meeting between ranked squads set to be staged as America gets its shopping done.
Ranked third in last week’s AP poll, UConn will be just over a week removed from a home heartbreaker, dropping a 71-67 decision to then-No. 4 Arizona in Storrs last Wednesday. They got back on track over the weekend, defeating Bryant by a 72-49 final in this season’s Hartford debut. Silas Demary Jr. put forth a serendipitous triple-double during the Bulldogs’ visit, earning 10 assists, points, and rebounds each, while Eric Reibe earned 16 points.
The Huskies also put forth a sterling defensive effort, allowing only 11 successful field goals while forcing 21 turnovers. UConn will go for its second win on neutral ground against a ranked opponent this season, previously besting BYU in Boston earlier this month behind shared 21-point efforts for Demary, Alex Karaban, and Tarris Reed Jr.
UConn vs. Illinois: Elite 8 Rematch
Illinois is likewise looking to recover from ranked disappointment last week, as a 90-86 defeat to No. 11 Alabama dropped them five spots in the poll. Kylan Boswell and Andrej Stojakovic united for 19 of the Illini’s 31 field goals in the Chicago-based defeat, which has since been followed up by victories in Champaign over LIU and Texas Rio Grande Valley.
The latter, earned on Monday, left something to be desired defensively, but Stojakovic once again took care of things from the field with 24 points on 11-of-17. Illinois likewise has an elite win under its belt, taking down Texas Tech in Champaign back on Nov. 11.
This will be the fifth all-time meeting between the Huskies and Illini, with the former winning three of the previous four. It’ll also be the first time they square off since the regional final round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament, a 77-52 advantage in Boston. Donovan Clingan and Cam Spencer each had double-doubles for the Huskies, whose blowout victory served as the prelude for their most recent national championship triumph.
What: No. 5 UConn Huskies (5-1) vs. No. 13 Illinois Fighting Illini (6-1)
Where: Madison Square Garden, New York, NY
When: Friday, 12:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Who’s Favored: UConn -1.5 / -125 ML
Husky to Watch: Eric Reibe
The Huskies certainly missed Samson Johnson and the NBA-bound Liam McNeeley against the Wildcats last week: forced to deal with Motiejus Krivas and Koa Peat, the Huskies were handily outrebounded by 20. Krivas and Peat united for 26 on their own, while no Husky had more than Reibe’s four.
A true freshman out of The Bullis School and Orange Academy, the German-born Eric Reibe has gotten a chance to showcase his scoring prowess over the last two games, putting up 31 points over the last two combined. Illinois has likewise re-upped in the skyscraper department, roundly enjoying the interior antics of David Mirković and more. Another standout performance from Reibe, one that could potentially serve as a national introduction, could help the Huskies secure another elite victory on the Dan Hurley ledger.
As UConn hoops gets set to return to Boston for the first time since the 2024 Elite Eight against Illinois – let’s re-live UConn going a 30-0 run in that game.
— TorresonUConn (@TorresOnUConn) November 14, 2025
Just an insane display of basketball.
For a truly historic team 😮😮pic.twitter.com/b0bUht3s6B
Illini to Watch: Kylan Boswell
It’s probably buried behind a packed schedule (which also features a showdown with Tennessee in Nashville next week), but the matchup against UTRGV could wind up being a bittersweet turning point of the Illini’s season. Head coach Brad Underwood was publicly displeased with the team’s defensive effort, which allowed the Vaqueros to earn 11 successful 3-pointers and offensive rebounds each.
The two-way efforts of Kylan Boswell, who will likely be tasked with taking on the experienced UConn backcourt duo of Demary and Solo Ball, will be huge under the Knicks and Rangers’ banners at MSG. Known for his on-ball work, Boswell can’t let the Huskies get hot: it’s the only thing to let UTRGV sink 11 triples. It’s certain doom against the mighty shooters from Storrs.
They Said It
“What’s in the turkey? What makes people sleepy? We’re not going to eat the (bleeping) tryptophan on Thursday and be sluggish as (bleep) on Friday. So we’re gonna eat the tryptophan, the turkey, and everything on Wednesday so that all of the tryptophan is out of our system by the time we get to MSG … I’m thankful for all my family, thankful for my wife, my kids. I’m thankful to be the head coach of the six-time national champion UConn Huskies, to get to represent this incredible state.”—Hurley on the Huskies’ Thanksgiving schedule (h/t Joe Arruda, Hartford Courant)
Dan Hurley’s Thanksgiving strategy:
— The Field of 68 (@TheFieldOf68) November 24, 2025
“We’re not going to eat the f***ing tryptophan on Thursday and be sluggish as shit on Friday”pic.twitter.com/OrfWQ3840l
“Care. Give a damn about the defensive side. I think we’ve been able to score it pretty effectively in almost every game. I think that mentality has maybe led to some complacency. On the defensive end, I thought we had much, much better fight today in practice, and that’s ultimately on me. But it was a game in which I thought UTRGV played harder than us. That doesn’t happen very often, and that’s just not acceptable.”—Underwood on the Illini’s defensive outlook (h/t Jeremy Werner, 247Sports)
Prediction
Each side is looking to make a statement after falling against fellow elite competition, and there’s a grand stage to pull it off. While Illinois definitely has the tools to advance long-term this season, even with Kasparas Jakučionis and Will Riley having moved on to the first round of the NBA Draft, it feels safer to trust Hurley’s Huskies at this point on the holiday timeline. With their recruited talent rising in Storrs, expect UConn to rise to the occasion at the site of their eight … and likely counting … Big East Tournament championships.
UConn 76, Illinois 66
Geoff Magliocchetti is on X @GeoffJMags
