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Welcome to the TCR GameThread! The Fighting Illini will return home to Champaign on Saturday to open the 2017 season against the Ball State Cardinals, and Brandon Birkhead will be covering the action for us. Make sure to refresh this page throughout the game for updates and analysis on the Orange and Blue.
To participate in the discussion, you'll need to create a free account with SB Nation. From our homepage, just click 'Sign Up' in the upper right-hand corner and pick a username, password, and enter an email address. Then you'll be free to join the comments section at the bottom!
We'll have a recap up shortly after the game concludes; all post-game discussion should take place there.