The term 'FIGHTING ILLINI OF THE BIG TEN' refers to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's athletic teams. The school is a member of the BIG TEN Conference, which is an NCAA Division I conference that consists of 14 universities located in the Midwestern United States. The FIGHTING Illini nickname is derived from the state's official nickname, the Land of Lincoln, and the university's mascot is a Native American figure named Chief Illiniwek.