Oct. 31--Illinois basketball has found a temporary home for the start of the 2015-16 season.
While the State Farm Center renovations are completed, the Illini will play five games at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Ill., the school announced in a news release Thursday.
The first game will be an exhibition Nov. 8, 2015, followed by the season opener on Nov. 13 and games on Nov. 15, Nov. 21 and Nov. 23, 2015.
"The PCCC staff and community leaders throughout Springfield aggressively pursued this opportunity," Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas said in a statement. "They will roll out the orange carpet and allow us to transform the PCCC in November 2015 so that we can provide the best home-court advantage for our student-athletes and our program."
Springfield is less than 90 miles from the Illinois campus.
Illinois will transport its court, baskets, bench chairs and scorer's table from State Farm Center to the PCCC. Information regarding tickets for the Springfield games will be announced at a later date.
State Farm Court update: The court at State Farm Center was inspected, reinstalled and deemed fit for play after storm water that leaked into the building Tuesday morning caused worry about the potential damage.
A news release credited quick work by construction workers and arena staff members who quickly removed water, installed fans and worked on drying out the court.
