Illini now

Did Illinois Basketball Land in the Latest AP, Coaches' Top 25 Rankings?

The surging Illini have won three in a row, including ranked foes Michigan and Purdue, with the Big Ten tournament up next
Steven Greenberg|
Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Orange Krush cheer on the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Feb 25, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; The Orange Krush cheer on the Illinois Fighting Illini during the first half against the Iowa Hawkeyes at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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After a month in the relative wilderness – otherwise known as the Land of the Unranked – Illinois' men's basketball team has re-emerged in both the AP and coaches' top 25 polls.

Hallelujah. God bless America. And so on.

These things can be quite fleeting, though. Also, it's March. Seed lines, not poll votes, are what matter. But here we go spoiling the fun. So sorry!

As one of 62 voters in the weekly AP poll, I had the Illini at No. 20 on my preseason ballot. Before this week, the last time I ranked them – and the last time they appeared in the poll – was the first Monday of February, when they were No. 23 on both counts.

Since then, they struggled for a while due in parts to injuries and illnesses, the low point coming in a 110-67 destruction at the hands of Duke that was the most lopsided loss in Illini history. That was Feb. 22 – not long ago at all – in New York. Three straight conference wins since that game appear to have set things right again. A 20-point win at Michigan was impressive, and the stirring comeback to beat Purdue 88-80 in the regular-season finale even more so.

The Big Ten has seven teams in the current AP poll: Michigan State at 7, Maryland at 11, Wisconsin at 18, Purdue at 20, Michigan at 22, Oregon at 23 and Illinois at 24. In the coaches' poll, Michigan State is tied at 6, with Maryland at 11, Wisconsin at 14, Purdue at 20, Michigan at 21 and Illinois at 25.

AP Top 25: 1. Duke, 2. Houston, 3. Auburn, 4. Florida, 5. Alabama, 6. St. John's, 7. Michigan State, 8. Tennessee, 9. Texas Tech, 10. Clemson, 11. Maryland, 12. Iowa State, 13. Louisville, 14. Texas A&M, 15. Kentucky, 16. Memphis, 17. BYU, 18. Wisconsin, 19. Saint Mary's, 20. Purdue, 21. Missouri, 22. Michigan, 23. Oregon, 24. Illinois, 25. Marquette.

My latest ballot: 1. Houston, 2. Duke, 3. Florida, 4. Auburn, 5. St. John’s, 6. Michigan State, 7. Alabama, 8. Tennessee, 9. Texas Tech, 10. Clemson, 11. Maryland, 12. Louisville, 13. BYU, 14. Memphis, 15. Iowa State, 16. Wisconsin, 17. Kentucky, 18. Saint Mary’s, 19. Texas A&M, 20. Illinois, 21. Purdue, 22. UConn, 23. Oregon, 24. Arizona, 25. Drake.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

KenPom's Metrics Are High on Illinois Basketball's NCAA Title Hopes

Purdue Coach Matt Painter Sets the Bar for Illinois in March

Illinois Basketball Makes Return to CBS' Gary Parrish' 'Top 25 and 1'

Published
Steven Greenberg
STEVEN GREENBERG

Greenberg is a columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, has written about college sports since the early 1990s. He covered University of Wisconsin football and basketball in the early 1990s before spending nearly 20 years as a magazine editor and writer. A former managing editor, features writer and college football columnist for The Sporting News, he has written for The New York Times, Rolling Stone and Bleacher Report and joined the Sun-Times in 2013.

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