Illinois Basketball: Illini crack preseason AP Top 25

The preseason AP Top 25 has dropped, and the Illinois basketball team finds themselves in the mix.

This time of year, usually Illini fans are clamoring for the basketball season to start. But 2022 is different. The football program is now ranked No. 18 in the nation, which is higher than the basketball program.

On Monday, the preseason AP Top 25 for college basketball was released. The team taking the top spot is North Carolina. Overall, only three Big Ten teams are ranked to start the year with Indiana ranking in the top spot at No. 13 in the nation. The next Big Ten team is Michigan at No. 22.

If you drop one more ranking down, you will find the Illini. At No. 23, Illinois is looking to make their mark with a fairly new team this season.

Illinois is missing six out of the top seven scorers from the 2021-22 campaign. The only player in that mix who is returning is Coleman Hawkins. But the Illini added some great depth with freshmen and the transfer portal. That is why we still cracked the AP Top 25.

It has been a long time since both Illinois basketball and football have been in the AP Top 25.

I love seeing the Illini at No. 23 to start the basketball season. They had so much turnover, but I believe the additions to the program will help this team climb in the rankings throughout the season. No. 23 is right where we should be to start the year.

Not only do we get to enjoy the basketball team being ranked, but the Illinois football team is also in the top 25 at No. 18. Illinois basketball and football are ranked in the same school year. That hasn’t happened since the 2011-12 season when the basketball program climbed to No. 19 in the nation and the football team got to No. 16 in the nation.

I will take this a step further, though. The last time Illinois basketball and Illinois football were ranked on the same date was 2001.

In 2001, the Illinois basketball team opened up as the No. 3 team in the country and maintained a top 10 status through January 7. Meanwhile, the football program cracked the top 25 on October 21 and stayed ranked the rest of the season. We would finish as the No. 12 team in the country that year.

Finally, Illinois is back to great success once again. It has been a long time, but we are back baby! This is only the start of some great seasons ahead.