Texas basketball to face Illinois in high-stakes Jimmy V. Classic

The non-conference schedule is starting to come together for next season for head coach Chris Beard and the Texas basketball program as we’re still in the early stages of the 2022 offseason. Texas is already set to host the Gonzaga Bulldogs in a high-octane matchup during the non-conference schedule at the shiny new Moody Center next season.

Beard and the Longhorns are set to battle Gonzaga at the Moody Center on Nov. 14.

But we’ll dig more into the rest of the non-conference slate later here as Beard and the Longhorns got some big news heading into the weekend regarding the formation of the regular season schedule. A report from Jon Rothstein on Twitter on June 3 indicates that the Longhorns will be part of a seriously impressive field of teams in the Jimmy V. Classic next season.

The other two teams in this Jimmy V. Classic field for the 2022-23 season are the Duke Blue Devils out of the ACC and Iowa Hawkeyes out of the Big Ten.

Later in the day on June 3, Rothstein confirmed on Twitter that Texas will face head coach Brad Underwood and the Illinois Fighting Illini out of the Big Ten in their first game in the Jimmy V. Class next season.

Chris Beard and Texas basketball draw tough test in Jimmy V. Classic facing Illinois

Jeff Goodman of Stadium also tweeted on June 3 that Texas is set to face Illinois in their first game of the Jimmy V. Classic on Dec. 6 at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

This will be the first time that the Longhorns have participated in the Jimmy V. Classic since 2012. Texas was downed in convincing fashion by the Georgetown Hoyas by a margin of more than 20 points during the 2012-13 season in the Jimmy V. Classic.

The last win for the Longhorns in the Jimmy V. Classic came over the Villanova Wildcats during the 2008-09 season.

Moreover, this is the second big event announced that will include Texas in the non-conference schedule for next season. A couple of months ago, it was announced that the Longhorns will face the Creighton Blue Jays at home at the Moody Center in the Big 12/Big East Battle on Dec. 1.

Texas is really building to have a big stretch of three or four weeks during the non-conference slate from Nov. 14 through Dec. 6. In that span, Beard and the Longhorns could wind up facing three top 25 teams in Creighton, Gonzaga, and Illinois.

This will put some of the new additions for the Longhorns to the test, including the reigning Big 12 Newcomer of the Year and former Iowa State Cyclones stud freshman guard Tyrese Hunter. As the biggest addition for Beard and the Longhorns out of the NCAA Transfer Portal so far this offseason, Hunter should set the tone for this starting unit next season.

Illinois will bring their fair share of notable Big 12 transfers to the table too for this important matchup in the Jimmy V. Classic next season. While the Longhorns added Hunter out of the portal last week, Illinois has some important transfers of their own in the former Texas Tech wing Terrance Shannon Jr. and Baylor sharpshooter Matthew Mayer.

Texas finished up last season with a record of 22-12 (10-8 Big 12) following a loss in the Round of 32 to the three-seed Purdue Boilermakers. Beard, Hunter, and the Longhorns will be looking to elevate this team’s success in the postseason during the 2022-23 season.