The University of Miami men's basketball team will host Illinois on Dec. 2 as part of the 16th annual Atlantic Coast Conference/Big Ten Challenge, as announced Thursday by ESPN.
It will be a rematch of the 2013 NCAA Tournament third-round game the Hurricanes took 63-59 to advance to the Sweet 16. Then-freshman center Tonye Jekiri is the lone returning player from that squad. He scored four points, grabbed two rebounds and recorded a steal and assist in seven minutes.
The only other time the two programs met was in 1969 when the Illini won 86-76.
Miami has played in seven of the 10 challenges since joining the ACC for the 2004-05 season, going 2-5 overall with a 2-1 record at BankUnited Center.
Last year, the Hurricanes finished 17-16 and 10th in the conference, missing out on the NCAA Tournament and National Invitation Tournament. The Illini went 20-15 and eighth in their conference, losing to Clemson in the second round of the NIT.
You can follow Christina De Nicola on Twitter @CDeNicola13 or email her at cdenicola13@gmail.com.
