Officials at the Prairie Capital Convention Center have approved a contract allowing the Fighting Illini Men’s Basketball team to play their first five home games in Springfield next season.
The move is being made due to construction and renovations at the State Farm Center.
“We’re here to win, we’re not here just to play games,” said University of Illinois Assistant Athletic Director Jason Lener. “Coach [John] Groce wanted to find a place that was going to be intimate, it was going to have great fan support, and that’s exactly what we’ve found here in Springfield. We couldn’t be more excited or more happy to be here.”
Center Director Brian Oaks said the impact to the area economy will likely be enormous, noting the out of town patrons coming in plus local residents packing the Center.
“Our recent $16 million renovation that we completed … was money well spent, and it’s already having a return on investment in this community,” said Oaks.
Non-conference and exhibition games will be played in Springfield. A schedule and ticket sales will be made available at a later time.