Welcome to “Good Morning, Illini Nation,” your daily dose of college basketball news from Illini beat writer and AP Top 25 voter Scott Richey. He’ll offer up insights every morning on Brad Underwood’s team:

The 2020-21 Illinois basketball schedule was shaping up to be pretty spectacular. A nonconference slate chock full of high major opponents only to be followed by 20 games in arguably the best, toughest conference in the country.

A handful of low or mid-major teams would have filled the (most likely) five open spots on in the nonconference portion of Illinois’ schedule, but the Illini were locked in to face Florida and either Iowa State or Oregon in the Emerald Coast Classic, play a return game at home against Arizona, participate in both the Big Ten/ACC Challenge and Gavitt Tipoff Games and, of course, face Missouri with Braggin’ Rights on the line. 

That was pre-pandemic scheduling. The Arizona game is off considering the Pac-12 halted all sports through the end of the calendar year. If the Emerald Coast Classic — set to take place on the Northwest Florida State campus in Niceville, Fla., — still happens in some capacity it will have to be retooled with Oregon for the same reason.

The rest? Up. In. The. Air.

“I have no idea,” Illinois coach Brad Underwood said about what his team’s nonconference schedule might wind up being — if there is one at all. “Right now, i’m planning on playing our schedule as is minus Arizona because they made their decision. Until somebody tells us otherwise, I don’t know any other way to do it. We’re taking the plan as is until it changes. Then we’ll change accordingly.

“I guess versatility is a key word. You better be versatile. You better be able to understand the best laid plans could go south. We’ll figure it out at the end of September or October whenever they tell us we’re going to play. I think the important thing is we get on the court and play.

“If that means 30 games, if that means 20 games, I know it’s going to be the best year the Big Ten’s ever seen. If we play an all-Big Ten schedule, woof. If that means 26 league games, my goodness. Every night will be throwing body blows. It will be a heavy duty fight.”