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Illinois Basketball Climbs in AP Top 25 Entering Big Game at Oregon

The No. 9 Ducks, who host the Illini on Thursday, are the highest-ranked Big Ten team
Steven Greenberg|
Dec 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) dunks the ball over Chicago State Cougars forward CJ Delancy (20) and Noble Crawford (11) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images
Dec 29, 2024; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini forward Morez Johnson Jr. (21) dunks the ball over Chicago State Cougars forward CJ Delancy (20) and Noble Crawford (11) during the second half at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

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Illinois Fighting IlliniAlabama Crimson TideKansas JayhawksGonzaga BulldogsAuburn TigersIowa State CyclonesKentucky WildcatsDuke Blue DevilsTennessee VolunteersUCLA BruinsOregon DucksMississippi State BulldogsTexas A&M AggiesMichigan State Spartans

Illinois climbed two spots – to No. 22 – in the latest AP Top 25 poll, which was released Monday.

The Illini (9-3, 1-1 Big Ten) have an immediate opportunity to score their biggest win of the season, with a game at No. 9 Oregon – the conference's highest-ranked team – on Thursday (9 p.m. CST, on FS1).

As one of 62 voters in the weekly AP poll, I had the Illini at No. 20 on my preseason ballot, had them at 24th last week and now have them back at 20th.

The Big Ten has five teams in the current poll: Oregon at 9, UCLA at 15, Michigan State at 18, Purdue at 20 and Illinois at 22. Maryland was first among all other teams receiving votes – in other words, 26th – with Michigan, Ohio State, Indiana, Wisconsin, Penn State and Nebraska also on that list.

It's surprising to me to see Purdue, which was been beaten handily in three of its four losses, still ranked ahead of the Illini, who recently played No. 1 Tennessee down to the wire. Are voters aware Zach Edey doesn't call West Lafayette, Indiana, home anymore?

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

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

More From Illinois on Sports Illustrated:

3 Key Numbers From Illinois Basketball's Win Over Chicago State

Illinois Basketball Toys With Chicago State in Showcase Win

Illinois Basketball Lands in Mike DeCourcy's First NCAA Tournament Projections

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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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