What happened in this Sports story?

The Big Ten released its 2026-27 conference basketball schedule on Wednesday, headlined by five marquee matchups including Illinois-Michigan State and UCLA-USC. Reigning national champion Michigan enters as the biggest wild card after losing four starters and coach Dusty May to the NBA.

What is a key fact in this story? (1)

**The Big Ten** released its full 2026-27 conference basketball schedule on Wednesday, featuring five marquee games that will shape a wide-open title race after two conference teams — including champion Michigan — reached last season's Final Four.

What is a key fact in this story? (2)

**Illinois vs. Michigan State** on Feb. 5 at State Farm Center is a potential Big Ten title game preview; Illinois returns five of its top eight scorers from a 28-win team, while Michigan State brings back Jeremy Fears Jr., who led the nation in assists per game (9.4) and is the frontrunner for preseason conference Player of the Year.

2026-27 Big Ten basketball schedule: Illinois vs. Michigan State, USC vs. UCLA among five top conference games — SkimNews

By CBS Sports · Summarized & edited by Kapil Samant · 2026-09-16

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The Big Ten released its full 2026-27 conference basketball schedule on Wednesday, featuring five marquee games that will shape a wide-open title race after two conference teams — including champion Michigan — reached last season's Final Four.
Illinois vs. Michigan State on Feb. 5 at State Farm Center is a potential Big Ten title game preview; Illinois returns five of its top eight scorers from a 28-win team, while Michigan State brings back Jeremy Fears Jr., who led the nation in assists per game (9.4) and is the frontrunner for preseason conference Player of the Year.
Michigan vs. Michigan State on Feb. 26 at Crisler Center is the second of two regular-season meetings (Feb. 13 and 26); Michigan swept the series last season for the first time since 2013-14 but lost incoming five-star guard Brandon McCoy Jr. to a torn ACL during the program's recent European Tour.
UCLA vs. USC on March 6 at Pauley Pavilion is the most anticipated crosstown clash since both joined the Big Ten in 2024; UCLA signed Serbian forward Nikola Kusturica — a potential No. 1 pick in 2028 and the program's top draft prospect since Lonzo Ball — while USC added three top-30 recruits under coach Eric Musselman.
Purdue vs. Michigan on Jan. 4 at Crisler Center is a rematch of last season's Big Ten title game, which Purdue won to hand Michigan its only loss before the national title run; Purdue lost its 'Big Three' of Braden Smith, Trey Kaufman-Renn, and Fletcher Loyer, with Kaufman-Renn's sixth-year waiver not expected to result in him playing.
Iowa vs. Illinois on March 6 at State Farm Center closes the regular season — their first meeting since the Hawkeyes' first Elite Eight appearance under first-year coach Ben McCollum; Iowa must replace top scorers Bennett Stirtz (now in the NBA) and Alvaro Folgueiras (transferred to Louisville).

Why it matters: The 2026-27 Big Ten basketball title will likely be decided by a handful of head-to-head matchups among a tight contender group. With Michigan losing four starters and coach Dusty May to the NBA, the Wolverines' Jan. 4 rematch against Purdue (who upset them in last year's Big Ten title game) becomes a critical early stress test of how steep the rebuild actually is.