Illinois Surprisingly Holds Steady in KenPom, NET Rankings After Loss to Michigan

After Illinois was run off its home floor on Friday night in Champaign – albeit by a juggernaut Michigan squad – the expectation would naturally be for the Illini's line to fall a few notches in the advanced metrics. The abysmal defense would surely be punished, as would the previously historically good offense – which was completely shut down by the Wolverines’ exceptional personnel and stellar game plan.

Michigan shot 52.5 percent from the field, won the rebounding battle and held Illinois to 41.3 percent from the field. There wasn’t an area on the floor or an aspect of the game the Illini controlled – and the box score reflected that.

The Wolverines built their lead as high as 21 points in the second half, and were up 20 with less than a minute to go before a pair of garbage-time three-pointers cut the deficit for a final score of 84-70. Michigan didn’t just beat Illinois – it dominated the home team.

Illinois remains in KenPom, NET top five despite Michigan loss

Feb 4, 2026; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini head coach Brad Underwood prepares his game plan before tip-off against the Northwestern Wildcats at State Farm Center. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-Imagn Images | Ron Johnson-Imagn Images

And to top it off, Friday night’s falter was Illinois’ second-straight loss and fourth in its past six games. Surely that team would be free-falling in the key metrics.

Instead, the Illini defense barely slipped in KenPom, to No. 33, and the offense held steady at No. 1, with a wide margin still between it and the No. 2 offense (Purdue). Overall, somewhat bafflingly, Illinois ranks No. 5 in the country, per KenPom.

Meanwhile, in the NET Rankings, the story is fairly similar. Even after their overtime loss to UCLA, the Illini hung around at No. 4 in the NET. And despite getting blown out by Michigan in the State Farm Center, Illinois dropped only one spot, to No. 5. (It's worth noting that Michigan is No. 1 in KenPom and Bart Torvik, while it rates No. 2 in the NET.)

A one seed in the NCAA Tournament is now out of reach for Illinois, but a two seed remains firmly in grasp if the Illini win out in the regular season – which appears to be quite feasible, with matchups against Oregon (4-13 Big Ten) and Maryland (4-13 Big Ten) on the docket – and win a game or two in the Big Ten Tournament.

All of the advanced metrics have been high on Illinois all season long (Bart Torvik currently has the Illini at No. 6), and a poor 2-4 stretch has clearly done little to extinguish that belief.

Given the stock the NCAA Tournament selection committee puts into the key analytical tools (KenPom, NET Rankings and Bart Torvik are all used), it’s safe to say Illinois is in zero jeopardy of being under-seeded.