Illinois #13 in 1/12 AP Poll
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sounds about right
I don’t see the Illini passing Sparty, Vanderbilt or Nebraska, so … Lucky 13.
#13 is just about right. That's my vote.
I am going with #11 (for Dee)
#13...based on TT, Ark and Bama losses.
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I posted this in the previous polls thread, but I feel #13 is probably the single most likely but also probably our ceiling. These were the ranked team losses above us last week...
- #15 Arkansas lost at Auburn
- #14 Texas Tech lost at #7 Houston
- #13 Alabama lost at #11 Vanderbilt
- #13 Alabama lost vs. Texas
I cannot imagine we don't pass every single one of them. Depending on how impressed the pollsters were with our Iowa win and/or "noise" that affect the eventual points totals, I'll go with a range from #10 to #13.
#13 it is.
And Iowa is nowhere to be seen in top 25
DICKnaggie
- Champaign
And the ladies are finally ranked at 25 as well!
Dan
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ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
We absolutely could have and should have beaten Alabama and Nebraska but I'm a liiiiiiiiiiittle skeptical we're better than UConn.
Wow Alabama 77th in defensive efficiency.
I don’t pay too much attention to all of the bracketology stuff until probably after the midway point of the conference schedule. But, I did notice ESPN had us as a 3 seed prior to the Missouri game, and has since moved us down to a 4 while we’ve creamed an SEC team by 45, won a road game at Penn State, beat Rutgers by 26 at home and beat #19 in another road game. While moving teams that have actually lost games up (example Michigan State).
Even in NET we are 10th and now have 4 Q1 wins.
Anyway, all of that has nothing to do with AP Poll ranking outside of the fact that I think we are simply lacking in the area of public perception at the moment.
GrayGhost77
- Centennial, CO
That's decent for them.
Noblesville Illini
- Nappanee, IN
Strange seeing us ahead of UConn after they’ve only lost once and beat us early in the season.
If it weren’t for the win against us, they’ve had a disappointing season.
It's Joe Lunardi. I never expect him to get it right.
Agree. Probably a direct result of the early results vs Alabama and UCONN. It takes a while to climb back to the top after a couple early losses. If we are able to continue to play as well/better than the last three weeks going forward it should resolve itself pretty soon.
Yep, agree, it’s strange to wrap your head around but neither model accounts for wins or losses like the NET does, just raw data from performance vs expected and adjusts for quality of the opponent
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
More useless trivia! Lol. But we might end up having the most top 25 matchups we've been able to enjoy in many years this year, as seen below! Since Underwood got here, these are the top 25 matchups we have participated in by season. 2025-2026 includes remaining games vs. currently ranked opponents.
2019-2020
L 65-72 at #18 Iowa (ILL #19)
L 66-75 vs. #9 Maryland (ILL #20)
L 63-71 at #19 Ohio State (ILL #23)
W 78-76 vs. #18 Iowa (ILL #23)
2020-2021
L 69-82 vs. #2 Baylor (Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #5]
W 83-68 at #10 Duke (ILL #6)
L 88-91 at #19 Rutgers (ILL #13)
L 81-87 vs. #21 Ohio State (ILL #14)
W 80-75 vs. #7 Iowa (ILL #19)
W 75-60 vs. #19 Wisconsin (ILL #12)
W 74-69 at #23 Wisconsin (ILL #5)
W 76-53 at #2 Michigan (ILL #4)
W 73-68 at #7 Ohio State (ILL #4)
W 82-71 vs. #5 Iowa (BTT Semifinals in Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #3]
W 91-88 in OT vs. #9 Ohio State (BTT Championship in Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #3]
L 58-71 vs. #17 Loyola Chicago (NCAAT Second Round in Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #2]
2021-2022
L 88-96 in 2OT vs. #4 Purdue (ILL #17)
W 56-55 vs. #10 Michigan State (ILL #24)
W 80-67 vs. #11 Wisconsin (ILL #18)
L 68-84 at #3 Purdue (ILL #13)
W 79-74 at #19 Michigan State (ILL #12)
L 83-86 vs. #22 Ohio State (ILL #15)
W 74-72 vs. #24 Iowa (ILL #20)
L 53-68 vs. #15 Houston (NCAAT Second Round in Pittsburgh, PA) [ILL #19]
2022-2023
W 79-70 vs. #8 UCLA (Las Vegas, NV) [ILL #19]
L 61-70 vs. #16 Virginia (Las Vegas, NV) [ILL #19]
L 66-71 at #22 Maryland (ILL #16)
W 85-78 in OT vs. #2 Texas (New York, NY) [ILL #17]
2023-2024
L 64-71 vs. #4 Marquette (ILL #23)
W 98-89 vs. #11 FAU (New York, NY) [ILL #20]
L 79-86 at #17 Tennessee (ILL #20)
L 78-83 at #1 Purdue (ILL #9)
L 71-77 vs. #3 Purdue (ILL #12)
W 72-69 vs. #4 Iowa State (NCAAT Sweet Sixteen in Boston, MA) [ILL #10]
L 52-77 vs. #1 UConn (NCAAT Sweet Sixteen in Boston, MA) [ILL #10]
2024-2025
L 87-100 vs. #8 Alabama (Birmingham, AL) [ILL #25]
W 109-77 at #9 Oregon (ILL #22)
L 78-81 at #12 Michigan State (ILL #19)
L 65-88 vs. #11 Maryland (BTT Quarterfinals in Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #24]
2025-2026
W 81-77 vs. #11 Texas Tech (ILL #14)
L 86-90 vs. #11 Alabama (Chicago, IL) [ILL #8]
L 61-74 vs. #5 UConn (New York, NY) [ILL #14]
W 75-62 vs. #13 Tennessee (Nashville, TN) [ILL #14]
L 80-83 vs. #23 Nebraska (ILL #13)
W 75-69 at #19 Iowa (ILL #16)
at #5 Purdue (ILL #13)
at #8 Nebraska (ILL #13)
at #12 Michigan State (ILL #13)
vs. #4 Michigan (ILL #13)
So we are 21-24 in top 25 matchups since 2020 ... anywhere close to .500 is pretty darn good! We also have a chance to surpass the pretty crazy 2021 total of 12, because as of now we would have 10 before the BTT. So we'd just need one in the BTT (likely meaning we made it to Saturday) and one in the NCAA Tournament (likely/hopefully meaning we are in the Sweet Sixteen or beyond!!).
2019-2020
L 65-72 at #18 Iowa (ILL #19)
L 66-75 vs. #9 Maryland (ILL #20)
L 63-71 at #19 Ohio State (ILL #23)
W 78-76 vs. #18 Iowa (ILL #23)
2020-2021
L 69-82 vs. #2 Baylor (Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #5]
W 83-68 at #10 Duke (ILL #6)
L 88-91 at #19 Rutgers (ILL #13)
L 81-87 vs. #21 Ohio State (ILL #14)
W 80-75 vs. #7 Iowa (ILL #19)
W 75-60 vs. #19 Wisconsin (ILL #12)
W 74-69 at #23 Wisconsin (ILL #5)
W 76-53 at #2 Michigan (ILL #4)
W 73-68 at #7 Ohio State (ILL #4)
W 82-71 vs. #5 Iowa (BTT Semifinals in Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #3]
W 91-88 in OT vs. #9 Ohio State (BTT Championship in Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #3]
L 58-71 vs. #17 Loyola Chicago (NCAAT Second Round in Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #2]
2021-2022
L 88-96 in 2OT vs. #4 Purdue (ILL #17)
W 56-55 vs. #10 Michigan State (ILL #24)
W 80-67 vs. #11 Wisconsin (ILL #18)
L 68-84 at #3 Purdue (ILL #13)
W 79-74 at #19 Michigan State (ILL #12)
L 83-86 vs. #22 Ohio State (ILL #15)
W 74-72 vs. #24 Iowa (ILL #20)
L 53-68 vs. #15 Houston (NCAAT Second Round in Pittsburgh, PA) [ILL #19]
2022-2023
W 79-70 vs. #8 UCLA (Las Vegas, NV) [ILL #19]
L 61-70 vs. #16 Virginia (Las Vegas, NV) [ILL #19]
L 66-71 at #22 Maryland (ILL #16)
W 85-78 in OT vs. #2 Texas (New York, NY) [ILL #17]
2023-2024
L 64-71 vs. #4 Marquette (ILL #23)
W 98-89 vs. #11 FAU (New York, NY) [ILL #20]
L 79-86 at #17 Tennessee (ILL #20)
L 78-83 at #1 Purdue (ILL #9)
L 71-77 vs. #3 Purdue (ILL #12)
W 72-69 vs. #4 Iowa State (NCAAT Sweet Sixteen in Boston, MA) [ILL #10]
L 52-77 vs. #1 UConn (NCAAT Sweet Sixteen in Boston, MA) [ILL #10]
2024-2025
L 87-100 vs. #8 Alabama (Birmingham, AL) [ILL #25]
W 109-77 at #9 Oregon (ILL #22)
L 78-81 at #12 Michigan State (ILL #19)
L 65-88 vs. #11 Maryland (BTT Quarterfinals in Indianapolis, IN) [ILL #24]
2025-2026
W 81-77 vs. #11 Texas Tech (ILL #14)
L 86-90 vs. #11 Alabama (Chicago, IL) [ILL #8]
L 61-74 vs. #5 UConn (New York, NY) [ILL #14]
W 75-62 vs. #13 Tennessee (Nashville, TN) [ILL #14]
L 80-83 vs. #23 Nebraska (ILL #13)
W 75-69 at #19 Iowa (ILL #16)
at #5 Purdue (ILL #13)
at #8 Nebraska (ILL #13)
at #12 Michigan State (ILL #13)
vs. #4 Michigan (ILL #13)
So we are 21-24 in top 25 matchups since 2020 ... anywhere close to .500 is pretty darn good! We also have a chance to surpass the pretty crazy 2021 total of 12, because as of now we would have 10 before the BTT. So we'd just need one in the BTT (likely meaning we made it to Saturday) and one in the NCAA Tournament (likely/hopefully meaning we are in the Sweet Sixteen or beyond!!).
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