I am one of those Illinois basketball fans who still remember what the program was like before Brad Underwood entered the picture.
The Illini were in such a bad place, but then Underwood came in and made us an elite program once again. He saved this program from the depths of mediocrity.
On Monday, the preseason AP Top 25 poll was released. Sadly, Underwood wasn’t able to get Illinois into the first rankings of the season. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, though.
While Illinois managed to finish the 2023-24 campaign with an Elite 8 appearance, after the great run, the program was gutted. Only two scholarship players returned, and Underwood had to build from the ground up.
In the preseason AP Top 25 poll that was released, while Illinois didn’t make it into the top 25, we do find ourselves the first team receiving votes. Illinois notched 92 votes, just 10 votes shy of a spot on the coveted list.
Illinois basketball has their impressive run in the AP Top 25 come to an end
There are a couple of AP Top 25 stats that impress me when it comes to Illinois basketball. One of those numbers is how long we have been ranked.
Back on November 27, 2023, Illinois climbed back into the AP Top 25. We have been there ever since. That was 18 straight weeks of having a number next to our name.
I would argue a more impressive stat that has come to an end is the consecutive seasons Illinois has started in the AP Top 25.
Illinois has missed the preseason AP Top 25, which is the first time since the 2019 campaign. Illinois has started ranked inside the AP Top 25 each of the past four seasons. That is the longest streak in program history, and it has now come to an end.
Underwood has Illinois basketball at an elite level. We reloaded and will contend for a championship this season. Not making the preseason AP Top 25 should just be another chip on the shoulder of some talented players. This season should be fun.