The season opener is a little more than a week away for the Illinois men's basketball team, and while the Nov. 8 game against Evansville looms, that's not nearly the biggest nonconference game for the Illini.
The Dec. 22 meeting with Missouri in St. Louis for the annual Braggin' Rights game stokes the most interest among Illinois fans.
And even more so this year, with the NCAA granting a waiver to former Illinois guard Mark Smith this past Friday that made the guard immediately eligible for the 2018-19 season despite the fact he transferred in April.
Normally, NCAA rules say a player has to sit out a season after transferring, but that isn't the case with Smith.