Illinois Basketball: Illini still in top 10 in latest AP Top 25 poll
The new AP Top 25 has been released and, well, the Illinois basketball program didn’t have much movement.
After losing last week to the No. 2 ranked Baylor Bears, the Illini have only fallen one spot in the latest AP poll. Illinois checks in at No. 6 and is the second-highest ranked team with a loss, only trailing the No. 5 ranked Kansas Jayhawks.
Illinois now has been ranked in the top six nationally for two weeks in a row, which is the longest stretch for the program since 2005-06. That year, which was Dee Brown and James Augustine’s final run, the Illini made a trip to the second round of the NCAA tournament.
The Illini will take on No. 10 Duke, who was previously No. 6 last week, on Tuesday. This is a great top 10 matchup that everyone is dying to see.
The Big Ten continues to hold its own.
While Illinois is still ranked in the top six, they aren’t the only program from the Big Ten who is making news nationally.
Iowa is still holding strong at No. 3 in the nation after starting their season 3-0. Illinois will have a matchup with the Hawkeyes on January 29 in Champaign. This will be the only time the two play in the regular season.
The Spartans of Michigan State check in at the No. 4 spot in the latest top 25 rankings. Another solid start by a Big Ten team, the Spartans are 5-0 and moved up four spots from their previous No. 8 ranking last week. Illinois and Michigan State only face off one time this year as well, and that will take place on January 23, the game before No. 3 Iowa.
Other notables in the top 25 include No. 13 Wisconsin, who dropped nine spots after losing to unranked Marquette. Illinois plays the Badgers two times this season, once on February 6 in Champaign and then on February 27 in Madison.
No. 21 Rutgers and No. 22 Ohio State round out the top 25 for the Big Ten. Both of these programs are currently 3-0 this season. In two weeks, Illinois will be facing off against Rutgers for the lone time this season. We then play Ohio State twice, once on January 16 at home and then on March 6 on the road.
Next. 4 keys for the Illini to beat the Duke Blue Devils. dark
Illinois is still staying strong inside the top 10 nationally. This is a place where I believe they will be for the majority of the season. Winning against Duke on Tuesday might even move us up inside the top five once again.