You need to fill up the schedule somehow.
According to Jon Rothstein, Illinois will host the Horizon League’s Oakland Grizzlies on Nov. 10.
Source: Illinois will host Oakland on November 10th as part of its 2023-24 non-conference schedule.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) June 1, 2023
You may know Oakland (in Michigan) for being the school Kendrick Nunn transferred to after leaving Illinois in 2016.
Oakland finished in the middle of the pack last season in the Horizon League at 13-19 overall, and 9-11 in conference play.