Illinois Basketball: Illini miss out on being ranked in latest AP Top 25
The new AP Top 25 has been released and it looks like the Illinois basketball team has missed the rankings again.
From the middle of January through the middle of February, the Illini had a place in the top 25. We were ranked for the first time since December 1, 2014. It was exciting to see Illinois amongst the best teams in the nation. But then we started to lose a few games.
The Illini dropped four games in a row and just like that, we were on the outside looking in. But, just as things were looking down, the Orange and Blue rebounded with a huge road victory over No. 9 Penn State. Yes, that is right, No. 9 Penn State. This was a big win for a team needing to turn the tides.
While Illinois isn’t in the top 25, we still received the second most votes with 82. No. 25 Houston only received 102 votes. This is lower than I expected Illinois to be. I thought they would crack the top 25. This also means they are probably somewhere between a No. 6 and No. 8 seed in the NCAA tournament. But with more winning comes a better ranking.
There are three games for the Illini to play before the next rankings come out. We have Nebraska tonight at home. This should be a win considering the Cornhuskers are 7-19 overall and 2-13 in the Big Ten. Having them come to Champaign makes me way more conformable about this game.
Illinois then takes on Northwestern on the road. The Wildcats put up a fight the last time around in Champaign, but I think Illinois will be more prepared this time. Northwestern isn’t playing the best basketball with a 6-20 record overall and 1-15 in the Big Ten. This should be a win as well.
The toughest game this week is going to be against Indiana in Champaign. Illinois looks to get revenge on the Hoosiers from last season’s dismantling. Indiana is making a charge, so this game won’t be easy. But, with the game being at home, Illinois should come away with the win.
Next. 3 ways the Illini can take down Nebraska. dark
So, we have three games before the next rankings come out. Illinois should be able to win all three. This would likely move us up into the top 25. It would also move us up into somewhere between a No. 5 and No. 7 seed in the NCAA tournament. This is an important week of basketball.