What to Know About Illinois Basketball's Exhibition Opponent Cincinnati

Illinois takes on Cincinnati in an exhibition game Saturday (4 p.m. CT), the first opportunity of the 2026-27 season for the Illini to match up against a different squad. The contest will take place in Cincinnati and won't be televised. Here's what else you should know about the game:

3 things to know about Illinois' exhibition opponent Cincinnati

Cincinnati’s new head coach and transfer haul

The Wes Miller era, which lasted five years and failed to yield a single NCAA Tournament appearance, came to an end last season. Now, Jerrod Calhoun, former Utah State head coach and a Cincinnati graduate himself, has taken over the program.

Calhoun led Utah State to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments during his two seasons with the Aggies, and he was the head coach at Youngstown State for seven seasons prior to that.

Joining Calhoun at Cincinnati is a transfer class consisting of 13 players, headlined by four Utah State players who followed Calhoun out of Logan – including star guard MJ Collins (17.5 points per game last season) and sophomore guard Elijah Perryman. Collins’ eligibility remains in flux, though, as he seeks a fifth year.

Other notable transfers include Tulsa guard Tylen Riley, Wake Forest forward Myles Colvin (formerly of Purdue), Towson forward Tyler Tejada, Boston College center Jayden Hastings and North Dakota State transfer Trevian Carson. Cincinnati’s overall transfer class was rated No. 23 in the country, per 247Sports.

The Bearcats’ starting five

Without Collins (who was once again deemed eligible as of Tuesday and can play against the Illini), Cincinnati went with Perryman, Carson, Colvin, Tejada and Hastings in its early-October exhibition against Ohio State.

That lineup doesn’t give the Bearcats much size against a towering Illinois team. But assuming Collins (6-foot-4) is back in the fold, and likely playing at the 2, then Cincinnati will be in a better position come Saturday.

Cincinnati’s win over Ohio State

The Bearcats used a massive 49-33 second half to storm past Ohio State and win the neutral-site matchup 79-68. The star was Riley, who poured in 23 points off the bench, thanks in large part to an 11-for-16 performance at the free-throw line. He tacked on three assists as well. 

Tejada scored 17 points, snagged five rebounds and had three steals, and Hastings registered 16 points and six rebounds. Cincinnati outrebounded Ohio State, a unit not exactly lacking size of its own, 45-35. The Bearcats also held the Buckeyes to just 40.7 percent from the field, while forcing 16 turnovers.

Cincinnati shot just 4-for-19 from beyond the arc, but the Bearcats also held Ohio State to just 4-for-23 shooting from that range. Neither of those results mean much considering the contest took place outdoors, though.

What it all means for Illinois

All those names and numbers. But what is the bottom line? The Bearcats play hard. They play physical (whistled for 27 fouls against Ohio State). They have individual players who can test the Illini defense.

Also, KenPom’s preseason projection places Cincinnati at No. 31 in the country, with the No. 16 defense in the country. The Bearcats can apply pressure on Illinois in every single facet of the game. 

The boards will be a challenge. We’ll see how the Illini survive in one-on-one situations against talented defenders. And we’ll begin to find out if Illinois can play team basketball on offense.

On top of that, we’ll get our first glimpse into how Brad Underwood’s club fares in a road environment. But as always: proceed with caution. This is an exhibition game. It does not count in the win-loss column. It's also just the first step in a long journey.

To offer some perspective, Cincinnati beat Michigan 100-98 last year in a preseason matchup. Cincinnati didn’t make the NCAA Tournament. Michigan won the national title.