Illinois Basketball: Illini have a big opportunity to crash top 10 in AP Poll

There was little movement for the Illinois basketball program this week in the AP Top 25 poll.

It wasn’t a terrible week for the Illini. We started things out with a throttling of Syracuse in what ended up being the final ACC-Big Ten Challenge. The Orange and Blue took down the Orange, 73-44.

That victory was followed up with a tough loss to then-No. 22 Maryland on Friday night. Illinois put up a tough fight against the Terrapins, but we couldn’t go on the road and get the win. The Illini would end up falling to Maryland, 71-66.

The fact Illinois demolished Syracuse and lost a close game against a top 25 opponent in Maryland enabled us to only move down one spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll. They now have the Illini ranked No. 17 in the country.

Illinois basketball has a big opportunity to move up in the AP Top 25 poll.

It was disappointing to see the Illini fall to Maryland this past week. This win by the Terrapins enabled them to move up to No. 13 in the country. While this loss did drop Illinois down to 6-2 on the season and No. 17 in the nation, there are plenty of games ahead to help the Orange and Blue move up in the AP Top 25.

This week is huge for the Illini. On Tuesday, Illinois takes on No. 2 Texas in the Jimmy V Classic.

The Longhorns have faced a tough schedule thus far. They beat then-No. 2 Gonzaga by 19 points and then-No. 7 Creighton by five points this season. That is why Texas is now ranked No. 2 in the country.

If Illinois can knock off the Longhorns, then there is no doubt we shoot up in the rankings. Having two top 25 wins – the other being UCLA – under our belts will look great in the AP Top 25 and when it comes time for seeding in the NCAA tournament.

Illinois then rounds out the week at home against Penn State. The Nittany Lions, who are also 6-2, really haven’t played anyone this season. This should be a win for the Illini.

So, a win over the No. 2 team in the nation and taking care of business against Penn State should bump Illinois up into, most likely, the top 10. If we can knock off the Longhorns, the rest of the non-conference shouldn’t be too difficult. It wouldn’t shock me to see Illinois enter the meat of the Big Ten season at 11-2 and one of the best 10 teams in the country.