The No. 17 Tennessee Volunteers (5-3) will look to build on a three-game home winning streak when they host the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini (7-1) on Saturday at Thompson-Boling Arena in one of the most highly anticipated college basketball games of this week.
Tennessee appears to be exiting a slump just in time for their contest against Illinois. They lost three straight games before winning 89-66 in their most recent game against George Mason on Tuesday.
Illinois, meanwhile, are coming off the back of beating Florida Atlantic 98-89 on Tuesday, as Marcus Domask scored a team-high 33 points. The visitors' only loss of the year came against Marquette, who was ranked fourth at the time.
Here, GOAL brings you everything you need to know about how to watch the game, including what TV channel to watch it on, streaming details, and more.
Tennessee vs Illinois: Date & kickoff time
| Date: | Saturday, December 9, 2023 |
| Kickoff time: | 12 p.m. ET/ 11 a.m. CT/ 9 a.m. PT |
| Venue: | Thompson Boling Arena |
| Location: | Food City Center, Knoxville, Tennessee |
How to watch Tennessee vs Illinois on TV & stream live online
You can watch the NCAA men's basketball national championship game between Tennessee and Illinois on CBS. If you don't already have access to CBS via antenna or cable TV, Paramount Plusis the cheapest way to watch the NCAA national championship game. To stream the game, you'll need a Paramount Plus Premium plan, which costs $11.99 a month after a one-week free trial.
Tennessee and Illinois injury report and rosters
Tennessee Volunteers team news
The Vols have no players on the injury report, and have a full-strength rosters ahead of this weekend's game. Tennessee star Zakai Zeigler is still returning to form after an ACL injury. He barely averages five points per game, but he is an absolute monster on defence and a master at forcing turnovers.
Dalton Knecht leads his squad in both points (19.0) and assists (1.9) per game, and also averages 4.6 rebounds. Josiah-Jordan James averages 11.4 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.6 assists per contest.
Jonas Aidoo was the star of the show for the Volunteers last time out with 17 points, while he also tops his side in rebounds per game (7.1) and also posting 1.3 assists per game.
Tennessee predicted five: Aidoo, Knecht, Zeigler, Vescovi, Jordan James
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Guard | Freddie Dilione, Jordan Gainey, Dalton Knecht, Zakai Ziegler, Cameron Carr, D.J Jefferson, Grant Hurst, Kaylan Musk, Santiago Vescovi, Josiah-Jordan James |
| Center | NA |
| Forward | Jonas Aidoo Jr., Tobe Awaka, Cade Phillips, J.P. Estrella, Jahmai Mashack, Colin Coyne |
Illinois Fighting Illini team news
Niccolo Moretti (leg) is questionable for Saturday, while S. Harris G is out for season. Super versatile Terrence Shannon is the Fighting Illini's best player. Not only is he great on defense, but he is also averaging 21.6 points per game, and has been improving his draft stock all season. Quincy Guerrier is posting a team-high 6.9 rebounds per game, and is another player to watch in this game.
Illinois predicted five: Shannon Jr., Domask, Guerrier, Ty Rodgers, Coleman Hawkins
| Position | Players |
|---|---|
| Guard | Terrence Shannon Jr., Sencire Harris, Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn, Marcus Domask, Justin Harmon, AJ Reed, Keaton Kutcher, Max Williams |
| Center | Dain Dainja |
| Forward | Ty Rodgers, Coleman Hawkins, Amani Hansberry, Luke Goode |
Tennessee vs Illinois head-to-head record
Tennessee and Illinois have never met each other before, and this will be the first-ever meeting between the two sides.