Illinois Basketball: ESPN has Illini moving up in way-too-early top 25

It is never too early to think about the Illinois basketball season as the Orange and Blue are poised for another run at the NCAA tournament.

Entering last season, the Illini hadn’t played an NCAA tournament game since March 24, 2013. That was the heartbreaking loss to No. 2 seed Miami (FL). For the six seasons following that defeat, the biggest accomplishment for the program was just being named on the bubble.

Things started to turn around in the last two seasons. Illinois was on the verge of dancing in 2020, but COVID-19 ruined those plans. So, we all had to wait an extra year to see the Illini make the NCAA tournament. One of the leaders from that NCAA tournament team was Ayo Dosunmu. He has since departed the program, but Illinois is still being looked at as one of the best teams in the country.

On Tuesday, Jeff Borzello of ESPN released his way-too-early top 25. The usual suspects were at the top. Gonzaga is the No. 1 team in the country. Kansas, UCLA, Villanova and Texas round out the top five, in that order.

You don’t have to travel too much further to find the Orange and Blue. Borzello has the Illini ranked as the No. 12 team in the nation entering the 2021-22 campaign. This is a big jump from where he previously had Illinois, which was unranked.

Kofi Cockburn is putting the Illinois basketball program back into the discussion as one of the best teams in college basketball.

Borzello admits in his article that the reason Illinois went from unranked to the No. 12 team in the country is due to Kofi Cockburn returning to the Illini. I don’t blame him one bit. Without Kofi, Illinois is a guard-heavy program with a bunch of question marks in the paint. With Kofi, we instantly become a national title contender.

I do disagree with Borzello’s projected lineup, though. I have Alfonso Plummer starting over Da’Monte Williams at the No. 3 guard spot. This would give Illinois a lot more scoring in the starting rotation, and I have a hard time seeing Plummer committing to the Illini without a starting spot.

But, beyond that, I think the future is extremely bright for the Orange and Blue. I have zero problems with being ranked the No. 12 team in the country if that is actually what the ranking will be come November. There is always potential to move up as the season progresses. Hopefully, we can stay strong in the top 15 and be competitive for another No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament.