The Penn Quakers visit the No. 3 Illinois Fighting Illini on Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, at 8:30 p.m. ET from State Farm Center in Champaign, Illinois.
Illinois opened its regular season against FDU on Nov. 2. Forward David Mirkovic remains out for the Fighting Illini after an emergency appendectomy on Oct. 31.
Below are the details on how to watch.
How to Watch Penn vs. Illinois
- When: Thursday, November 5, 2026 at 8:30 p.m. ET
- Where: State Farm Center, Champaign, IL
- TV: FS1
- Stream: Watch 3 days free on FOX One
Players To Watch
Penn’s leading scorer scored as many as 44 points in a game last season and averaged 16.4 points and 7.6 rebounds. The 6-foot-9 forward made 43.2 percent of his 3-point attempts.
Power played at Duke and Virginia before landing at Penn, where he started all 30 games and played 35.0 minutes a night. Illinois can use 7-footers Tomislav and Zvonimir Ivisic against him, and his 43.2 percent three-point shooting is the tool that can pull those bigs away from the rim.
Michael Zanoni made 38.7 percent of his 3-point attempts for Penn last season and averaged 11.8 points in 30 starts. The 6-foot-5 guard scored as many as 30 points in a game.
Penn needs a second scorer next to Power, and Zanoni is the most proven option on the roster. He played at Mercer before transferring to Penn, and he played 28.7 minutes a night last season. Illinois’ 6-foot-7 guards, Stefan Vaaks and Andrej Stojakovic, will crowd his catch-and-shoot looks, so his 38.7 percent three-point clip has to hold up against that length.
Illinois’ top newcomer averaged 15.8 points per game as a freshman at Providence last season and started 22 of 31 games. The 6-foot-7 guard also averaged 3.2 assists.
Penn’s backcourt will have to deal with his size, since Vaaks is two inches taller than Zanoni. He made 35.0 percent of his 3-point attempts, played 31.4 minutes per game and scored as many as 28 points in a game. His shot volume with Mirkovic out is the thing to watch.
Tomislav Ivisic averaged 10.4 points and 5.6 rebounds while starting 33 of 34 games for Illinois last season. The 7-foot-1 center scored as many as 21 points in a game.
Power’s outside shooting could pull Ivisic away from the basket on defense. On offense, Ivisic made 31.3 percent of his 3-point attempts, so he can stretch the floor too. He played 25.4 minutes per game last season and shot 48.3 percent from the field. With Penn’s 6-foot-9 Power floating to the perimeter, Ivisic’s early post touches will show whether Illinois can punish that size gap inside.
