Good Morning, Illini Nation: Post-New Year's nonconference games

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Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team and college basketball at large:

Why a photo of Orlando Antigua with this missive about nonconference games in the new year you might be asking? It's simple, actually.

Now Illinois' associate head coach, Antigua was actually on the court at then Assembly Hall the last time the Illini played a nonconference game in the middle of the Big Ten schedule. Then a sophomore forward at Pittsburgh, Antigua came off the bench to score nine points for the Panthers in their 95-79 win against Illinois on Feb. 13, 1993. Deon Thomas might have put up 26 points for the Illini, but it wasn't enough, with Chris McNeal dropping a game-high 30 for Pitt.

That's how far back you have to go to find a scenario like Illinois will face this coming season when it plays Duke on Feb. 22 at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The Illini played four other nonconference games in the new year in the last two decades — Gonzaga (2010), Illinois State (2004), Oakland (2003) and Texas (1994) — but they all happened in early January as a precursor to conference action.

Illinois-Duke will come roughly three weeks before the end of the regular season. A game that could have major implications on NCAA tournament seeding given its uniqueness.

"It’s not as easy as it sounds," Illinois coach Brad Underwood said about getting the Duke game scheduled. "You’ve got to get two conferences to rework some things from a game standpoint and move some things around and accommodate that. The Big Ten, on our end, has been extremely accommodating in terms of trying to make that work.

"It’s obviously going to be a Saturday night primetime game. I think it’s 8 o’clock on a Saturday, so it doesn’t get any bigger than that in the Garden. ... Duke is going to be Duke. Arguably the best player in the country in Cooper (Flagg). It will be a game filled with some very, very talented young freshmen who have grown up by then."