The Big Ten released its full conference schedule with dates on Wednesday, giving college basketball fans a clearer view of when the top matchups for the 2026–27 season will occur. After the Big Ten sent two teams to the Final Four — including reigning national champion Michigan — the conference title race will be one of the biggest storylines to monitor. Michigan's team will look completely different than it did five months ago in Indianapolis.
The Wolverines lost four starters from their national title team and former Michigan coach Dusty May made one of the most shocking moves of the coaching carousel by jumping to the NBA on the eve of the 2026 NBA Draft. While Michigan's roster will look different, several familiar faces from the conference are returning. Illinois reached the Final Four for the first time since 2005 and returns the nucleus of its roster, headlined by David Mirković, Andrej Stojaković and Tomislav Ivišić.
Michigan State brings back Jeremy Fears Jr., who led the country in assists per game (9.4) and will likely be the preseason Big Ten Player of the Year. While Michigan, Michigan State and Illinois are expected to be the top contenders in the conference, others could crash the party. USC has its best roster under third-year coach Eric Musselman and crosstown rival UCLA made one of the biggest offseason acquisitions by signing Serbian forward Nikola Kusturica, who could be the No. 1 pick in 2028.
With the schedule set, here are the biggest games that will impact the Big Ten title race. When: Feb. 5 | Where: State Farm Center (Champaign, Illinois) Illinois only plays Michigan State once during the regular season. This game could be a Big Ten title game preview, as Michigan State and Illinois enter the season as top contenders for the regular-season title.
Illinois is set to enter the season as a top-five team after returning five of its top eight scorers from a team that won 28 games while also adding Stefan Vaaks (transfer portal) and five-star freshman Quentin Coleman to the roster. Michigan State has the same returning scoring production (65.4%) as Illinois, which ranks No. 1 in the Big Ten. Fears is the headliner on Michigan State's roster, but high-flying forward Coen Carr and Jordan Scott will also have big roles.
The winner of this game should be in the driver's seat to potentially win the conference. When: Feb. 26 | Where: Crisler Center (Ann Arbor, Michigan) Michigan will face Michigan State twice (Feb. 13 and 26) this season, with the second matchup coming less than two weeks after the first. It should come as no surprise that this game is part of the "home-and-home" Big Ten schedule slate because it is always appointment viewing.
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