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Boise State will get a crack at one of the top basketball programs in the Midwest this season.
University of Illinois officials confirmed Monday that the Broncos and the Fighting Illini have "agreed upon a game." Boise State has not yet signed a game contract with the Big Ten Conference school.
BSU coach Greg Graham declined comment Monday, citing athletic department policy of not speaking about games that do not have completed contracts.
The game is scheduled for Dec. 5. The Broncos will be paid an undisclosed amount for the game in Champaign, Ill. It will be BSU's first game against a Big Ten team since 1998, when the Broncos lost 90-66 at Indiana.
Illinois will not make a return trip to play the Broncos at Taco Bell Arena.
Illinois has a strong basketball tradition and plays in 16,618-seat Assembly Hall. Current coach Bruce Weber took the Illini to the 2005 NCAA Tournament finals, falling to North Carolina.
Last season, Illinois went 24-10 and tied for second place in the Big Ten. As a No. 5 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Illini lost to Western Kentucky in the first round. Weber had only two seniors on that team, which ended the season ranked 28th in The Associated Press poll, and likely will start the 2009-10 season ranked.
Scheduling notes:
® The Broncos are slated to open at Montana as part of a four-team tournament that also includes the host Grizzlies, Loyola Marymount and North Dakota. A Montana official said his school still is waiting on a signed contract from the Broncos, who would play three games in three days the weekend of Nov. 14.
® Confirmed nonconference home games: Portland State and Cal State Bakersfield. Boise State also will host an ESPNU Bracket Buster game this season.
® Confirmed road games: Wyoming, Idaho State and Eastern Washington. The complete schedule is normally released in the summer.
Nick Jezierny: 377-6420
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