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Illinois Basketball Drops in AP Top 25 Entering Bounce-Back Opportunity at Indiana

The Illini – coming off an ugly effort against USC – are fourth among six Big Ten teams ranked

Steven Greenberg

Jan 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) grabs a rebound during the second half against the USC Trojans at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Jan 11, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini center Tomislav Ivisic (13) grabs a rebound during the second half against the USC Trojans at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images / Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
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Illinois' men's basketball team has fallen six spots in the AP Top 25, to No. 19. The new poll was released Monday afternoon.

It's still the SEC's world, with that conference playing pepper at the top of the rankings like few conferences have done ever before. Auburn, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Kentucky, on and on – it's an embarrassment of riches. This season, the Big Ten just can't compare, though that's why God invented March.

As one of 62 voters in the weekly AP poll, I had the Illini at No. 20 on my preseason ballot and have them at 17th this week.

The Big Ten has six teams in the current poll: Michigan State at 12, Oregon at 13, Purdue at 17, Illinois at 19, Michigan at 20 and Wisconsin at 24. Maryland was seventh among other teams receiving votes, the only Big Team team on that list.

If not for a bad loss to USC in its last game, Illinois – ranked 13th a week ago – might have cracked into the top 10 and likely would have been the conference's highest-ranked team. But that's why they play the games, right?

AP Top 25: 1. Auburn, 2. Iowa State, 3. Duke, 4. Alabama, 5. Florida, 6. Tennessee, 7. Marquette, 8. Kentucky, 9. Kansas, 10. Houston, 11. Texas A&M, 12. Michigan State, 13. Oregon, 14. UConn, 15. Mississippi State, 16. Gonzaga, 17. Purdue, 18. Memphis, 19. Illinois, 20. Michigan, 21. Ole Miss, 22. Utah State, 23. Georgia, 24. Wisconsin, 25. Baylor.

My latest ballot: 1. Auburn, 2. Florida, 3. Iowa State, 4. Duke, 5. Tennessee, 6. Alabama, 7. Marquette, 8. Kansas, 9. Michigan State, 10. Kentucky, 11. Houston, 12. Texas A&M, 13. UConn, 14. Mississippi State, 15. Georgia, 16. Oregon, 17. Illinois, 18. Memphis, 19. Purdue, 20. Ole Miss, 21. Michigan, 22. Wisconsin, 23. Gonzaga, 24. Utah State, 25. St. John’s.

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

Big Ten Basketball Power Rankings: Illinois Blows Top Spot With Indefensible Loss

Illinois Basketball Report Card: Grades vs. USC (Game 16)

3 Big Takeaways From Illinois' Basketball's Loss to USC

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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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