CHAMPAIGN — The 20-game Big Ten men's basketball conference schedule is going to be challenging. There's no getting around that fact given the Big Ten's status as one of — if not the — most challenging leagues in the country.
Illinois will get the full challenging experience in 2019-20, with the Big Ten announcing each team's conference opponents Wednesday afternoon. The Illini will play home-and-home series with the likely top three teams in the conference — Michigan State, Michigan and Maryland — along with Purdue, Iowa, Rutgers and Northwestern.
Teams that will only make a trip to Champaign and State Farm Center in 2019-20 are Indiana, Minnesota and Nebraska.