Report: Tennessee, Illinois finalizing agreement to play at Bridgestone Arena in December

Tennessee and Illinois are finalizing an agreement to meet on Dec. 6 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, per CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein. There will be a return game at the United Center in Chicago, but that game’s date hasn’t been determined yet.

Tennessee and Illinois squared off last season at the Fighting Illini’s State Farm Center on Dec. 14. It was a back-and-forth game, with the Volunteers ultimately escaping with a 66-64 win. Jordan Gainey finished a contested layup as time expired to secure the win.

With the win, Tennessee improved its all-time record against Illinois to 4-1. The Volunteers also defeated the Fighting Illini in the 2023-24 season, 86-79. Tennessee will look to build on its win streak next season.

Nonetheless, it won’t be easy. Illinois is expected to be one of the best teams in the country next season after hauling in Zvonimir Ivisic and Andrej Stojakovic this offseason, via the NCAA Transfer Portal.

The pair is not the only European duo that will be joining the Fighting Illini next season. Illinois head coach Brad Underwood also reeled in commitments from freshmen David Mirkovic and Mihailo Petrovic in April.

After Stojakovic committed to Illinois on April 28, Underwood embraced his European-centric recruiting theme by posting a computer-generated image of himself in an orange Nike tracksuit and black flat cap, crouching in front of a Soviet-era apartment building. Underwood hasn’t kept his focus on international recruiting a secret.

“Being a familiar face over there with the ‘I’ and letting the people over there see us is vital in terms of comfort,” Underwood told Sports Illustrated‘s Kevin Sweeney last summer. “We have to keep sticking our nose over there and make it just like an event in Atlanta or Augusta or whatever it might be.”

Of course, Illinois won’t be the only team with an impressive roster next season. Tennessee has added transfers Amaree Abram, Jaylen Carey and Ja’Kobi Gillespie this offseason.

Additionally, Tennessee is returning key contributors such as Felix Okpara, Bishop Boswell, Cade Phillips and JP Estrella. On3’s Jamie Shaw ranked Tennessee No. 9 in his “way-too-early” college basketball Top 25 rankings for the 2025-26 season. Meanwhile, Illinois landed at No. 15.

Perhaps Tennessee’s best player next season will have no prior collegiate experience. On April 20, five-star prospect Nate Ament committed to the Volunteers. Ament is the No. 4 player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.