Illinois opened its 2026-27 campaign with a bang on Monday night in Champaign, defeating Fairleigh Dickinson 120-45 in a blowout for the ages. The Illini obviously dominated the game in every facet imaginable – but just how dominant was it?

Historically so.

Take a look at all these records Illinois broke (and a few more that Brad Underwood’s club nearly rewrote):

Single-game team records Illinois basketball broke in win over FDU

Three-pointers made: 19 (previous record of 18 set in 2021)
Three-pointers attempted: 51 (previous record of 42 set in 2025)
Largest margin of victory: 75 (previous record of 69 set in 1993)

That's 19 treys.

19 3-pointers sets the program record for treys in a game.

📺: @BigTenNetwork pic.twitter.com/7V3aNO76AZ

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 3, 2026

Between Underwood’s comments in the offseason and the Illini’s body of work in their three exhibitions, we knew they were going to play faster. And as always, we knew they wouldn’t hesitate to fire from deep.

Monday night was still a shock, though. The Illini flew up and down the court, frequently launching both from deep and inside the arc with mere seconds ticked off the shot clock. The end result: Illinois shattered the record for most three-pointers attempted and eclipsed the previous record for three-point makes.

The craziest part: The Illini weren’t absurdly efficient from deep. They cooled off in the second half, particularly late in the game. Context matters, but their three-point percentage for the game – 37.3 – is arguably sustainable for a full season. It would be a mild surprise if they don’t at least hover around that number, give or take a couple of percentage points. 

Also, Illinois’ defense was exceptional. To play with that frantic level of pace – which bought the Illini a lot of easy buckets – and consistently prevent an opponent from getting their own easy ones is quite impressive. The end result was the largest margin of victory in program history.

Close call Illinois basketball team records in win over FDU

Points: 120 (current record of 127 set in 1988)
Field goals made: 46 (current record of 53 set in 1982/1988)
Rebounds: 65 (current record of 79 set in 1959)
Assists: 30 (current record of 35 set in 1982/1985)

OK, the points and field goals go hand in hand with the previous pace – and efficiency – we touched on above. Meanwhile, the rebounds admittedly aren’t that close. But any 65-rebound night – especially when the other squad racked up just 21 – can’t go unmentioned.

Highlights from our 120-45 season-opening victory against FDU. pic.twitter.com/AovCm567bW

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 3, 2026

And how about those assists? The count: 30 as a team, headlined by 13 between the all-freshman backcourt of Quentin Coleman and Ethan Brown. The willing ball movement, sound split-second decisions and top-quality spacing make Illinois an unimaginably tough cover.