It didn’t take long for the national media to take notice of the Illinois basketball team.
Entering the 2025-26 campaign, the Illini were ranked as the No. 17 team in the country. This was an appropriate ranking considering most thought we would be a good team, but with so many new additions, who knows what the program would look like early on.
A solid 3-0 start helped Illinois climb a few spots. This past week was big for the Orange and Blue, though. After a massive win over a top-15 Texas Tech program, the Illini launched up the newest AP Top 25 rankings.
The Illini moved up six spots on Monday, which makes us a top 10 program, sitting at No. 8 in the nation. This is the highest Illinois has been ranked since the 2023-24 campaign. It is also the third-highest ranking of the Brad Underwood era.
With the new AP Top 25, Illinois basketball has an elite matchup against Alabama
Most teams in the country would be thrilled with a win over a top-15 Texas Tech program. They would put that one in the holster and then trounce the rest of their weak non-conference schedule.
Illinois doesn’t have that luxury. We took down the Red Raiders, and while the Colgate game wasn’t tough, the Illini can’t rest, as Alabama is up next on Wednesday.
This is a “neutral” game up in Chicago that tips off at 8:00 p.m. CT/9:00 p.m. ET. Alabama was No. 8 in the country, but they dropped three spots after falling to No. 1 Purdue by seven points. I am not sure why they dropped the Crimson Tide, as that was a great game and they played the top team in the country down to the wire.
The Illini will have their hands full on Wednesday. I think the AP Top 25 has its flaws, but the newest set of rankings has set up a big-time matchup early on in the season. Illinois will need to be ready for this epic duel.