The Illinois basketball team is finalizing a two-game series with Tennessee that will be played on neutral sites in Nashville and Chicago, according to a report .

Illinois will play Tennessee at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on Dec. 6 of the coming season, according to Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today . A return game will be hosted by the Illini at United Center in Chicago at a date as yet not determined.

The December matchup will mark the third straight season in which the programs have played each other. Tennessee has won the first two meetings.

Tennessee was ranked No. 5 in the nation when it beat Illinois 66-64 last December in Champaign at State Farm Center on Jordan Gainey’s game-winning buzzer beater. The Vols won, 86-79, in 2023 at Knoxville.

Illinois now has nonconference games booked with Tennessee, Alabama and Missouri for the 2025-26 season.