Illinois Ranked in Latest AP College Basketball Poll Right Where It Belongs

The Illini sputtered in a loss to UConn last week, the latest indication that they aren't yet ready for prime time

Illinois guard Kylan Boswell (4) finish at the rim against a UConn defender in the Illini's 74-61 loss to the Huskies last week at Madison Square Garden in New York City. | University of Illinois

Far more often than not, when a fairly highly ranked college basketball team loses a game this early in the season and doesn't look particularly good during the process, it slides – if not plummets – in the AP Top 25 men's college basketball poll.

Just this week, Houston fell five spots (from No. 3 to No. 8) after losing by just three points to a gritty Tennessee club; Florida tumbled five spots (from No. 10 to No. 15) after falling to unranked TCU, respectively; and Alabama sank four spots after Gonzaga beat it by 10. In the AP poll, the rarer the air, the tougher the climb – and the more precipitous the fall.

Which is why there can be no complaints about Illinois (6-2) slotting at No. 14 in the latest poll, released Monday, slipping just one slot from No. 13 after last week's 74-61 loss to UConn in New York.

No. 14 pic.twitter.com/UyPsrPo1pH

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) December 1, 2025

Why Illinois' No. 14 ranking is fair

A week ago, the Illini were knocked down five spots from their previous No. 8 ranking after falling to Alabama. Although Alabama was ranked slightly lower at the time (No. 11) and faced Illinois on its "other" home floor at Chicago's United Center, the game was a battle – one the Illini lost arguably only because of a terrible night at the free throw line. A drop to No. 13 seemed less like a balancing of the scales and more like a banishment from the top 10.

But against UConn, Illinois absorbed its second loss in as many weeks, and it too often appeared to have no answers against the Huskies. The Illini didn't just miss threes – which has become all but routine for them in big games dating back to last season – they also were outrebounded, outhustled and ultimately outsmarted. If anything, they belatedly earned the dinging they got by last week's AP voters.

So a one-spot drop in Monday's poll – if not an underreaction – at least set last week's record straight. And it kept Illinois within striking distance of the top 10, if it can pull all the pieces together and upend Tennessee – now No. 13 – in Nashville on Saturday (7 p.m. CT, ESPN).

The rest of the AP Top 25

The big movers in the Big Ten this week were Michigan (now No. 3) and Michigan State (No. 7), both up four spots from Week 4. In fact, aside from Illinois, only one conference team lost ground in the AP poll – UCLA, which tumbled from No. 18 completely out of the top 25.

Meanwhile, Indiana moved up three (to No. 22) and USC made its season debut in the poll, at No. 24. If it seems that the Year of the Big Ten hasn't exactly taken shape, give it time: the top three vote getters outside the rankings were Iowa, the Bruins and Nebraska.

AP Top 25: 1. Purdue, 2. Arizona, 3. Michigan, 4. Duke, 5. UConn, 6. Louisville, 7. Michigan State, 8. Houston, 9. BYU, 10. Iowa State, 11. Gonzaga, 12. Alabama, 13. Tennessee, 14. Illinois, 15. Florida, 15. North Carolina, 17. Vanderbilt, 18. Kentucky, 19. Texas Tech, 20. Auburn, 21. Kansas, 22. Indiana, 23. St. John's, 24. USC, 25. Arkansas.

Let's fly. pic.twitter.com/D3Yp00kHpJ

— Illinois Men's Basketball (@IlliniMBB) November 28, 2025