Illinois basketball climbs highest in AP Top 25 since 2000

It has been a magical ride since Shauna Green took over the women’s Illinois basketball program.

In year one alone, the Illini managed to make the AP Top 25 for four weeks. The highest we climbed that season was No. 21 in the country.

That 2022-23 campaign not only saw Illinois crack the AP Top 25, but we also made it to the NCAA tournament. The great play hasn’t stopped from this program either.

Last season, Illinois made the inaugural WBIT and cruised to a championship. That momentum has now carried over to the 2024-25 campaign.

Through five games, Illinois has already beaten a ranked Florida State program and took down a solid Marquette squad. We haven’t had any letdown games either, as the closest game the Illini have played in the last three contests was a 19-point win over Oregon State.

Green has Illinois playing well, and on Monday, the new AP Top 25 was released. Illinois entered the week ranked No. 22 in the country. Now, the Orange and Blue have cracked the top 20 and sit at No. 19 in the nation.

The women’s Illinois basketball team is reaching rare heights and should continue their winning ways

Remaining in the AP Top 25 is a fun sight right now. It is awesome that this program is playing such good basketball and has the nation watching what they can do.

Most if not all Illinois students have never seen Illinois ranked this high either. If you are 24 years old or younger, the Illini have never been in the top 20. The last time this happened was back on January 17, 2000. Illinois made it as high as No. 13 in the nation.

Another win should be on the horizon too. Illinois takes on Maryland Eastern Shore this Tuesday. That should get us to 6-0 on the season. After that, things get pretty interesting.

Illinois’ game against Maryland Eastern Shore is in the Music City Classic. The following game in that tournament is against No. 14 Kentucky.

The Illini then have a quick trip to play Canisius. After that contest, Illinois then has a road trip to No. 11 Ohio State.

Cracking the top 20 in the AP Top 25 is a pretty big deal. Illinois has a chance to not only win some big games in the near future, but with victories, we can climb to somewhere in the top 10. That would be huge for the program.