The Illinois Springfield men's basketball team travels to Kenosha, Wis., this weekend for Wisconsin-Parkside's Conference Crossover event. The Prairie Stars will open the season against Roosevelt at 4:45 p.m. on Friday before facing Parkside at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

Illinois Springfield
UIS enters the 2025-26 season with a roster of eight returners and seven newcomers, blending experience with fresh energy. Jordan Rice, a 2023-24 All-GLVC First Team selection who missed last season, returns to lead the Prairie Stars. He'll be joined by returning contributors Tye Banks and Britton Dutton, both of whom saw significant minutes a year ago and are expected to play key roles once again. 

The Prairie Stars also welcome several impact transfers. Adidas Davis joins UIS after averaging 15.2 points per game and shooting 47.3 percent from the field last season at Highland (NJCAA). Isaiah Davis arrives from Aurora (NCAA Division III), where he scored 324 points (12.5 per game) on 42.6 percent shooting, while Marlon Williams comes from Macomb Community College (NJCAA), where he shot 58.1 percent from the field and 35.3 percent from three-point range, averaging 12.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game.

After finishing 12-16 last season and narrowly missing the GLVC Tournament, UIS graduated its starting lineup and two all-time statistical leaders, including Max Kunnert and Jack Weber. Despite key departures to graduation, the Prairie Stars enter 2025-26 with renewed depth, experience, and a versatile lineup ready to compete.

Roosevelt
Roosevelt opens its season Friday night after playing an exhibition game last week against East-West. The Lakers overcame an early deficit with a 13-0 run and never looked back in the win. Jalen Windham, a newcomer, led Roosevelt with 35 points, while Dante Sawyer paced the team with five assists, and Davon Smith-Johnson added seven rebounds.

Now in its second season as an NCAA Division II program, Roosevelt finished 9-20 last year, including a 93-76 loss to UIS in the season opener. That game featured plenty of whistles, with UIS earning 40 free throw opportunities compared to 10 for Roosevelt. Tye Banks scored 14 points in the win as the Prairie Stars controlled the pace throughout. 

Both teams feature significantly different lineups this season and will look to make an early statement—Roosevelt seeking to even the all-time series at 1-1, and UIS aiming to stay unbeaten against the Lakers.

Parkside
Wisconsin-Parkside (14-15 in 2024-25) reached the GLIAC Tournament last season, falling in the opening round. The Rangers return two of the league's premier players in Josiah Palmer (16.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg) and Jack Rose (15.8 ppg, .367 3FG%), both of whom earned First Team All-GLIAC honors.

Parkside opens its season Friday against Upper Iowa before taking on UIS in Saturday's finale. The Prairie Stars defeated the Rangers 60-43 last year in a defensive battle that saw UIS limit Parkside's perimeter shooting and distribute scoring evenly across the lineup.

Follow Along
All games will be streamed live on FloCollege, with live statistics provided by Parkside and linked on the UIS men's basketball schedule page.