The release of the college basketball preseason AP Poll confirmed what fans already knew about Illinois: Brad Underwood's squad is a serious contender this season. The Illini were ranked No. 3, just behind the Duke Blue Devils at No. 2 and the Florida Gators at No. 1.
Illinois is the highest-ranked Big Ten team as well, coming in three spots higher than Tom Izzo's Michigan State Spartans at No. 6, and 13 spots higher than the defending National Champion Michigan Wolverines at No. 16.
BREAKING: Preseason College Basketball AP Poll🏀https://t.co/g4z17LVdWP pic.twitter.com/dYJufsSTG0
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It was expected that the Illini were going to get a lot of love in the preseason rankings with the retention of nearly half the Final Four team from last season and the addition of multiple talented freshmen and Stefan Vaaks from the transfer portal.
What makes this ranking so exciting for Illinois fans is that this is the highest the Illini have been ranked in the preseason poll in over a quarter century. The last time Illinois was ranked No. 3 was back before the 2001-2002 season. The only time Illinois was ranked higher was back before the 1984-1985 season, when they started at No. 2.
Illinois' dominating offensive performance against Cincinnati solidifys preseason ranking
The Illini hit the court for the first time this preseason on Saturday when they faced what Underwood described as a very good Cincinnati team. Illinois walked away with a 105-96 win over the Bearcats in an offensive explosion for Underwood's new squad.
There are some concerns on the defensive side of the ball, but exhibitions are the time to diagnose what needs to be worked out before the regular season begins. Offensively, though, Underwood has to be happy with the performance of his star players.
Andrej Stojakovic led the way with 24 points, picking up right where he left off in the NCAA Tournament. Four other Illini scored in double digits, with Vaaks making his debut in an Illinois uniform with 19 points, Quentin Coleman also making an impressive debut with 14 points, and Ethan Brown joining the debuts with 15 points.
Vets Tomislav Ivisic and Jake Davis, who was a game-time decision with an ankle injury, added 13 and 10 points. It doesn't look like the Illini will struggle offensively this season, which is good if the defense takes some time to get going.
It should be noted, though, that this was all without star forward David Mirkovic, who should hopefully return in time for the start of the season after a foot injury suffered back in late July.
With a performance like this against Cincinnati, it just shows that this ranking is well deserved for the Illini, and they will face their fair share of ranked opponents this season, testing them early.
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