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According to CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein, the Illinois Fighting Illini will play a neutral site contest against the VCU Rams on December 3. The contest will take place at American Airlines Arena in Miami, FL.
VCU will play Illinois in a neutral site game at American Airlines Arena in Miami on December 3rd, sources told @CBSSports.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) May 24, 2016
The Rams are coming off another strong season. After going 24-10 (14-4) in the regular season, VCU received a No. 10 seed in the NCAA Tournament. The program defeated No. 7 seed Oregon State in the First Round before falling to Buddy Heild and No. 2 seed Oklahoma. The Rams were ranked as the nation's No. 30 team in the final KenPom rankings.
My gut reaction? I think this is a great matchup for both teams, but why is this taking place in Florida? There will be no one at this game.
2016-17 Illinois Basketball Non-Conference Schedule
The Fighting Illini are scheduled to participate in the NIT Season Tip-Off along with Florida State, West Virginia, and Temple. The games will take place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.
The annual Big Ten/ACC Challenge matchup was announced on Monday, and Illinois will be hosting N.C. State on November 29 at the State Farm Center.
In addition, Illinois will welcome BYU to Chicago on December 17 as part of their yearly United Center showcase. This year's event, however, will be a double-header along with Northwestern vs. Dayton. The Braggin' Rights game against Missouri has also been scheduled for December 21 in St. Louis.