Dynegy Shootout Tickets

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Illinois will face New Mexico State in the Dynegy Shootout at 7 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 16 at the United Center in Chicago. The game will honor coaching icon Lou Henson, the all-time winningest coach of both the Fighting Illini and Aggie programs.

Henson amassed a 423-224 record in 21 seasons with the Orange and Blue, highlighted by 12 NCAA Tournament appearances, a total of 15 postseason bids, and eleven 20-win seasons. Henson's Illini won the 1984 Big Ten Championship and advanced to the Elite Eight. His most successful season came with the Flyin' Illini, who won a then-school record 31 games and advanced to the 1989 NCAA Final Four.

A 1955 graduate of New Mexico State, Henson coached 16 years between two stints at his alma mater, compiling a 289-152 mark. He led New Mexico State to its lone Final Four appearance in 1970, and to a total of seven NCAA Tournaments and eight 20-win seasons overall.

Over his entire 41-year career, Henson won 779 games; ranking 16th on the all-time NCAA wins list. He is one of only four coaches in NCAA history to record 200-plus wins at two DI schools. He also stands as one of just 14 coaches to lead two different teams to the Final Four. 

Henson was inducted into the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015. His name adorns the courts in both Champaign and Las Cruces, and he'll be inducted into the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame in 2018. 

Illinois and New Mexico State are under the direction of first-year head coaches. Brad Underwood is at the helm of an Illini squad that is 7-4 on the season. Chris Jans, meanwhile, is in his first year coaching an Aggie team that participated in the NCAA Tournament after winning the WAC Tournament and compiling a 28-6 record.

Tickets to the game are on sale now.