Illinois Soars Up the NET Rankings After Top-15 Win Over Tennessee

The Illini, who were ranked No. 26 in the NET before Saturday, have skyrocketed up the rankings after toppling the Volunteers

Nov 14, 2025; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood greets the crowd before the tip of the game with the Colgate Raiders at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

Despite its two losses on the season coming at neutral sites against two of the best clubs in the nation (Alabama and UConn), Illinois somehow debuted at No. 24 in the initial NET rankings last Monday. It seemed a significant miscalculation for a team that upended then-No. 11 Texas Tech and has otherwise put up monstrous numbers in dominating its competition.

Illinois climbs in the NET rankings post-Tennessee

Mar 23, 2025; Milwaukee, WI, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood reacts during the second half in the second round of the NCAA Tournament against the Kentucky Wildcats at Fiserv Forum. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-Imagn Images | Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

Ahead of tip-off Saturday against Tennessee, Brad Underwood’s club had actually slipped to No. 26 in the NET. But after taking down the Volunteers by a score of 75-62 and collecting their first Quad 1 victory of the season, the Illini rocketed up the rankings, clocking in at No. 13 in Sunday morning’s updated rankings.

NO. 14 ILLINOIS DEFEATS NO. 13 TENNESSEE 👀

A big second half leads the Illini to a statement win over the Vols 👏 pic.twitter.com/7DXxB8IkIg

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) December 7, 2025

Illinois' NET resume at a glance

Quad 1 record: 1-2
(Tennessee win, losses to Alabama and UConn)

Quad 2 record: 1-0
(Texas Tech win)

Quad 3 and 4 record: 5-0
(Non high-major victories)

Why it matters

Dec 6, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini guard Andrej Stojakovic (2) dunks the ball against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Bridgestone Arena. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

In reality, there is only one reason the NET metric has any bearing on Illinois' (or any other team's) season: It's a key metric that the NCAA Tournament selection committee takes into account when handing out at-large bids and seeding the brackets. And although it’s only early December, every opportunity to climb the NET is of utmost importance.

Once March rolls around and Selection Sunday arrives, the NET can be the difference between one or two seed lines, which can alter a team’s NCAA Tournament journey in a massive way, either aiding in the process of making a deep run or tossing extra hurdles into an already-grueling path.

How Illinois ranks in the Big Ten

Among Big Ten teams, Illinois is now the fourth-highest rated squad in the NET. Despite its loss at home against Duke on Saturday afternoon, Michigan State stuck at its No. 10 spot in the NET, while Purdue dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 after suffering its first blemish of the season in a shocking 23-point home loss against Iowa State.

Meanwhile, Michigan, which impressively holds the top spot in KenPom, Bart Torvik and the NET, remains at No. 1, with a combined 5-0 record in Quad 1 and 2 games. Duke (ranked No. 2 in the NET) is the only other club in the nation that also has a 5-0 record in Quad 1 and 2 games.

Fortunately, Illinois gets Michigan at home this year (Feb. 27), which won't only be a chance to exact revenge on the Wolverines for snatching up ex-Illini More Johnson Jr. but also a contest that may wind up being the top resume-building opportunity of Illinois' entire campaign.