
Illinois freshman guard Andre Curbelo dribbles during the team's practice on Wednesday.
CHAMPAIGN — Without so much as a reservation, Brad Underwood looked into a computer monitor and unequivocally proclaimed his confidence in the college basketball season starting in just more than a month.
"Without a doubt the season will start on November 25," said Underwood, Illinois' head men's basketball coach.
The Illinois men's basketball team started practice on Wednesday with the caveat that there's not yet a schedule in place for the upcoming season. Of course, in a non-COVID-impacted year the schedule would have long since been released and fans would begin putting plans in place to see what should be the best Illinois basketball team since 2005.
According to a report from CBSSports' Matt Norlander, Illinois will host a multi-team event (MTE) from Nov. 25-27 that includes a three-game round robin with Ohio, Wright State and North Carolina A&T. Stadium's Jeff Godman reports Illinois will travel to Orlando on Dec. 2 to play Baylor in a top-10 matchup in the Jimmy V Classic. Illinois has not confirmed either of those reports.
The Illini have already postponed a home game against Arizona to 2021 and were scheduled to play in the Emerald Coast Classic before it was canceled. The Big Ten/ACC Challenge is scheduled to go on and teams are waiting for clarity from the Big Ten on what the conference schedule will look like, though some expect a 20-game season to remain.
In short? Confusion.
“There’s been nothing like it,” Underwood said. “It’s truly COVID 2020 unprecedented as so many things are. We don’t have a lot of answers. We have a ton of questions that have to be answered."
It sounds like men's and women's basketball will venture into the non-conference world for the first since the pandemic invaded the world in March. Some college football teams have played non-conference games, but the deep dive into the pool will come with basketball. That brings its own questions from officials flying around the country from stop to stop to testing differences from conference to conference.
"Men’s basketball and women’s basketball, we’re the first to break the seal, I guess, on non-league games," Underwood said. "That’s posed some problems and challenges. Until some of those questions are answered and are answered in the best interest and safety of our student-athletes, it does post a lot of problems and challenges.
“There’s a lot of issues that don’t have a lot to do with games but have everything to do with scheduling the games. It’s maddening. It’s been a challenge and still is."
On top of all of that, teams will have to schedule around finals and perhaps holidays when student-athletes return to their families for a stretch. The goal is to safely navigate the non-conference schedule to make it to the Big Ten schedule, though Underwood understands the ever-present risk of the virus.
“We know it’s not going to come off unscathed more than likely," Underwood said. "Teams are going to have issues. We could have issues. You’ve got to be very safe knowing other teams and conferences aren’t testing the way we’re testing. We’ve got an issue with officials. Officials flying around the country commercial, they’re independent contractors. All those things happen in non-league games. How do you control those things and control hotels, control air travel, control buses?
“That’s the No. 1 objective for us is how do you schedule non-league games is the safety so we can get to Big Ten play an hopefully be as safe and as healthy as we can be."
Illinois has played Missouri every year in St. Louis since 1980 in the annual Braggin' Rights game. Underwood said there have been conversations with Mizzou.
“There’s all sorts of talks with everybody going on and Missouri is part of those conversations," he said. "Right now the Big Ten has no crowds, no attendance, no fans anyway. I think there’s a lot of conversation going on with everybody. No stone is being left out."
Underwood said they've tried to be up front with the players through the process and talks about the schedule weekly. When the season was delayed, the coaching staff kept the players informed. But in terms of daily conversations? Not so much. There isn't that much news to share.
A safe, competitive non-conference schedule is the goal. Underwood knows what lies ahead in the loaded Big Ten.
“We’ll tell them it’s going to be one of the great schedules," Underwood said. "The Big Ten’s going to be better than it’s ever been and top to bottom this can look like one of the toughest schedules in the history of Illinois basketball. We’ve got to be prepared and at the end of the day we’ll see how it all plays out."
PHOTOS: 31 amazing Illini basketball history photos
1987

1987
Ask Kendall

1989: Illinois senior basketball standout Kendall Gill is flanked by reporters during media day at Assembly Hall in Champaign Tuesday.
Big Reach

1990: Illinois' Marcus Liberty battles a Northwestern foe for a rebound.
Celebrate

1989: Ervin Small (left) and Ken Battle celebrate after the undefeated Illini turned back Georgia Tech 103-92 in double overtime Sunday to lay claim to the nation's No. 1. ranking. Illinois' 17-0 record is the best start in school history.
Lou Henson in 1993

Coach Lou Henson instructs members of the Illini basketball team during Monday's practice at Assembly Hall in this 1993 file photo.
Cheerleading

1991: Five-year-old Evyn Flannell of Sullivan does her part Monday night in Champaign to encourage the University of Illinois basketball team.
Chief Illiniwek

1987: Chief Illiniwek, sometimes known as Mike Rose of Tulsa, Okla., pulls his thoughts together as he prepares to perform his traditional half-time routine.
Coming through

1989: Andy Kaufmann winds through the defense in search of an open shot. Kaufmann pumped in a game-high 37 points to lead the White team to a 106-94 intrasquad win over the Blue.
Distraction

1989: Georgia Tech's Anthony Sherrod (42) was distracted at the free throw line.
Easy does it

1989: Teammates Steve Bardo (left) and Ervin Small were careful with Kendall Gill's broken foot as they marched off the court in triumph Sunday. Illinois nipped Georgia Tech 103-92 to go 17-0.
Efrem Winters

1983: Illinois' Efrem Winters slams a reverse dunk shot against Minnesota Sunday.
Efrem Winters

1986: Efrem Winters went to the hoop against Michigan, here scoring on Gary Grant.
Fierce Rebound

1990: Stephen Bardo pulls down a rebound as Illini teammate Marcus Liberty looks on in the background.
Free for all

1991: Andy Kpedi (50) and Deon Thomas (25) do battle with Purdue's Cornelius McNary (35) and Chuckie White (23) for a rebound at Purdue's end of the floor in the first half Saturday. Illinois' Larry Smith and Rennie Clemons wait for their chance during the Big Ten contest in Champaign.
Getting physical

1992: Robert Bennett (left) knocks away a Deon Thomas shot attempt during a brief scrimmage held after the activities.
Hero of the hour

1992: Illini forward Robert Bennett is mugged at center court by teammates after sealing the win Sunday against Big 10 conference rival Iowa, 77-72. Even though the Illini nearly handed the game away twice in the final seconds of regulation play, they managed to carry the day in overtime play in front of a season-high crowd of 16,281 in Champaign.
Illinettes

1987: The Illinette cheerleaders perform.
Illinois v. Iowa

1987: Illinois and Iowa crawled all over each other in the first meeting.
In traffic

1990: Illini point guard Brooks Taylor drives around Sydney defender Steve Carfino.
Kicking back

1990: Illinois basketball players Andy Kauffman, left, and Larry Smith pose on the Assembly Hall floor before practice Tuesday.
Long bombs

1989: P.J. Bowman's 3-point shooting has been a pleasant surprise for Illinois since star guard Kendall Gill went down with a broken foot.
Nick Anderson

1989: An appreciative Nick Anderson waved to the fans.
Pep band

1989: The Illinois pep band enjoyed the show.
Rebound

1989: Stephen Bardo grabs a rebound away from Georgia Tech's Johnny McNeil while Nick Anderson (25) and Kendall Gill head upcourt.
Relatives?

1990: There seems to be a family resemblance as a couple of fans in the Illini cheering section applaud their heroes in a game against Indiana Sunday afternoon at the Assembly Hall in Champaign. Illinois won 70-65.
Talk of the Big Ten

1942: The University of Illinois basketball squad, winner of seven Big Ten conference basketball games, are the talk of the conference at the moment. Saturday night, Doug Mills' prize sophomores defeated Northwestern, 41 to 33. Standing left to right, Gene Vance, Chuck Fowler, Jack Smiley, Vic Wukovits, Art Mathisen, Ed Parker, Coach Mills. Kneeling, Andy Phillip, Captain Bill Hocking, Ken Menke.
To the wire

1992: Illini center Deon Thomas flips a short hook shot toward the basket Thursday over Ohio State's 7-footer Bill Robinson in the first half. Jimmy Jackson of Ohio State is in the background.
Tony Wysinger

1986: Tony Wysinger -- 6 points in overtime, 18 overall.
Warming up

1987: University of Illinois cheerleaders warm up in the tunnel before the game.
Whiz Kids Big Ten champs in '42, '43

1943: The University of Illinois Whiz Kids: From left, Coach Doug Mills, Art Mathisen, Jack Smiley, Gene Vance, Ken Menke and Andy Phillip.
Wrong, Mr. Referee

1988: The life of a referee is often not a merry one. This one seems to be looking for help from above in maintaining his cool as a pair of University of Illinois basketball fans offer some constructive criticism. The fact that the Illini won in a blowout didn't seem to improve their opinion of the officiating.
Contact Joey Wagner at (217) 421-6970. Follow him on Twitter: @mrwagner25