Illinois #16 in 12/11 AP Poll

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#4      

BBlock24

B
BBlock24
Don’t understand being behind FAU considering the head to head win and FAU’s loss to Bryant, but oh well.
 
#6      

IllinialuminAZ

IllinialuminAZ
IllinialuminAZ
I'm pretty happy with that, aside from FAU being ahead of us. Just need to take care of Colgate on Sunday and we'll continue to move up. Nice to see James Madison drop two spots despite not losing. Probably good for the Big Ten that NW snuck back in at #25. Hopefully they'll still be ranked when we play them.
 
#7      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
SkyysNotFalling said:
Behind FAU? Uhh
Click to expand...
As I said in another thread, this aspect of the AP Poll is both infuriating and worthy of a weird kind of quirky nostalgia, haha. On one hand, I don't think we really want these journalists just strictly ranking "the top 25 best teams IMO" every week, or they'd literally never drop a Kentucky team full of 5-stars out of the top 25 even after several losses ("They'll figure it out! Too much talent on that team!!"), and teams like James Madison would never get the recognition they deserve.

On the other hand, though ... Illinois has a better resume than FAU and just outplayed them on a neutral court, looking fantastic doing it. So, with the AP Top 25 effectively being a points system where journalists subtract points for losses and add points for wins and a team going 1-1 will only move up so much, you get these ridiculous outcomes some times.

FWIW (and acknowledging that I am biased), I think Illinois has provided clear proof so far that we should be ranked ahead of the following:

#8 Creighton: They started at #8, and they dropped to #15 after getting destroyed by Colorado State - the only decent team they have played all year. They have regained their top 8 ranking because ... they beat Nebraska by a lot??
#10 Gonzaga: We are both 7-2, and they just lost to a previously 5-3 Washington team. The Zags' claims to fame are beating a fringe top 25 USC team that is falling apart (now at 5-4 with a loss to Long Beach State at home...) and keeping its loss to Purdue within 10...?
#13 Clemson: Literally here because they are undefeated, but their SOS has not been as good as ours. They jumped from #24 to #13 and passed the Illini for beating two unranked teams this week...? Bewildering choice.
#14 Kentucky: We are both 7-2 and their best win was over #8 Miami (FL), a team that has stumbled to #24 now after getting worked by Colorado at home. They also have a loss to UNC-Wilmington at home ... I should not have to defend this opinion to anyone, haha.
#15 FAU: I won't even go into this one, lol.

So, if we moved up five spots, we would be #11. Which is the resume I think we have achieved so far.

Just keep winning! A lot of winnable games in front of us, and we have an opportunity to keep rising. We are currently #18 in the NET Rankings, so this is a nice opportunity to get on a winning streak (NET Rankings used below):

vs. #119 Colgate (Quad 3)
vs. #91 Missouri (St. Louis, MO) [Quad 2]
vs. #287 Fairleigh Dickinson (Quad 4)
vs. #47 (AP #25) Northwestern (Quad 2)

I know NU is a good team and Braggin' Rights is always intense, but I think we should go 4-0 here. At that point, we would be heading into Mackey Arena on January 4th with an 11-2 record and likely an AP ranking of #10 or so to face what is almost certain to be a top 5 Purdue team.
 
#8      

theNewGuy

theNewGuy
Dallas, TX
theNewGuy
It seem like most of the voters are competent and have us ahead or very close to FAU. only 9/48 (19%) of voters have us lower than 20
There are a couple people that I have questions about tho...
David Jablonski and Luke DeCock must have just completely forgot we play basketball because they left us completely off.
 
#9      

Chad Fleck

Chad Fleck
Eureka, IL
Chad Fleck
Fighter of the Nightman said:
As I said in another thread, this aspect of the AP Poll is both infuriating and worthy of a weird kind of quirky nostalgia, haha. On one hand, I don't think we really want these journalists just strictly ranking "the top 25 best teams IMO" every week, or they'd literally never drop a Kentucky team full of 5-stars out of the top 25 even after several losses ("They'll figure it out! Too much talent on that team!!"), and teams like James Madison would never get the recognition they deserve.

On the other hand, though ... Illinois has a better resume than FAU and just outplayed them on a neutral court, looking fantastic doing it. So, with the AP Top 25 effectively being a points system where journalists subtract points for losses and add points for wins and a team going 1-1 will only move up so much, you get these ridiculous outcomes some times.

FWIW (and acknowledging that I am biased), I think Illinois has provided clear proof so far that we should be ranked ahead of the following:

#8 Creighton: They started at #8, and they dropped to #15 after getting destroyed by Colorado State - the only decent team they have played all year. They have regained their top 8 ranking because ... they beat Nebraska by a lot??
#10 Gonzaga: We are both 7-2, and they just lost to a previously 5-3 Washington team. The Zags' claims to fame are beating a fringe top 25 USC team that is falling apart (now at 5-4 with a loss to Long Beach State at home...) and keeping its loss to Purdue within 10...?
#13 Clemson: Literally here because they are undefeated, but their SOS has not been as good as ours. They jumped from #24 to #13 and passed the Illini for beating two unranked teams this week...? Bewildering choice.
#14 Kentucky: We are both 7-2 and their best win was over #8 Miami (FL), a team that has stumbled to #24 now after getting worked by Colorado at home. They also have a loss to UNC-Wilmington at home ... I should not have to defend this opinion to anyone, haha.
#15 FAU: I won't even go into this one, lol.

So, if we moved up five spots, we would be #11. Which is the resume I think we have achieved so far.

Just keep winning! A lot of winnable games in front of us, and we have an opportunity to keep rising. We are currently #18 in the NET Rankings, so this is a nice opportunity to get on a winning streak (NET Rankings used below):

vs. #119 Colgate (Quad 3)
vs. #91 Missouri (St. Louis, MO) [Quad 2]
vs. #287 Fairleigh Dickinson (Quad 4)
vs. #47 (AP #25) Northwestern (Quad 2)

I know NU is a good team and Braggin' Rights is always intense, but I think we should go 4-0 here. At that point, we would be heading into Mackey Arena on January 4th with an 11-2 record and likely an AP ranking of #10 or so to face what is almost certain to be a top 5 Purdue team.
Click to expand...
You Are The Best GIF
 
#10      

Second place is 1st loser

S
Second place is 1st loser
Fighter of the Nightman said:
As I said in another thread, this aspect of the AP Poll is both infuriating and worthy of a weird kind of quirky nostalgia, haha. On one hand, I don't think we really want these journalists just strictly ranking "the top 25 best teams IMO" every week, or they'd literally never drop a Kentucky team full of 5-stars out of the top 25 even after several losses ("They'll figure it out! Too much talent on that team!!"), and teams like James Madison would never get the recognition they deserve.

On the other hand, though ... Illinois has a better resume than FAU and just outplayed them on a neutral court, looking fantastic doing it. So, with the AP Top 25 effectively being a points system where journalists subtract points for losses and add points for wins and a team going 1-1 will only move up so much, you get these ridiculous outcomes some times.

FWIW (and acknowledging that I am biased), I think Illinois has provided clear proof so far that we should be ranked ahead of the following:

#8 Creighton: They started at #8, and they dropped to #15 after getting destroyed by Colorado State - the only decent team they have played all year. They have regained their top 8 ranking because ... they beat Nebraska by a lot??
#10 Gonzaga: We are both 7-2, and they just lost to a previously 5-3 Washington team. The Zags' claims to fame are beating a fringe top 25 USC team that is falling apart (now at 5-4 with a loss to Long Beach State at home...) and keeping its loss to Purdue within 10...?
#13 Clemson: Literally here because they are undefeated, but their SOS has not been as good as ours. They jumped from #24 to #13 and passed the Illini for beating two unranked teams this week...? Bewildering choice.
#14 Kentucky: We are both 7-2 and their best win was over #8 Miami (FL), a team that has stumbled to #24 now after getting worked by Colorado at home. They also have a loss to UNC-Wilmington at home ... I should not have to defend this opinion to anyone, haha.
#15 FAU: I won't even go into this one, lol.

So, if we moved up five spots, we would be #11. Which is the resume I think we have achieved so far.

Just keep winning! A lot of winnable games in front of us, and we have an opportunity to keep rising. We are currently #18 in the NET Rankings, so this is a nice opportunity to get on a winning streak (NET Rankings used below):

vs. #119 Colgate (Quad 3)
vs. #91 Missouri (St. Louis, MO) [Quad 2]
vs. #287 Fairleigh Dickinson (Quad 4)
vs. #47 (AP #25) Northwestern (Quad 2)

I know NU is a good team and Braggin' Rights is always intense, but I think we should go 4-0 here. At that point, we would be heading into Mackey Arena on January 4th with an 11-2 record and likely an AP ranking of #10 or so to face what is almost certain to be a top 5 Purdue team.
Click to expand...
Both Northwestern and Missouri are games that I never feel "good" about for no other reason than we've been awful against Mizzou the last two years and NW has been a struggle, regardless of where the game is played.
 
#14      

foby

foby
Bonnaroo Land
foby
Fighter of the Nightman said:
As I said in another thread, this aspect of the AP Poll is both infuriating and worthy of a weird kind of quirky nostalgia, haha. On one hand, I don't think we really want these journalists just strictly ranking "the top 25 best teams IMO" every week, or they'd literally never drop a Kentucky team full of 5-stars out of the top 25 even after several losses ("They'll figure it out! Too much talent on that team!!"), and teams like James Madison would never get the recognition they deserve.

On the other hand, though ... Illinois has a better resume than FAU and just outplayed them on a neutral court, looking fantastic doing it. So, with the AP Top 25 effectively being a points system where journalists subtract points for losses and add points for wins and a team going 1-1 will only move up so much, you get these ridiculous outcomes some times.

FWIW (and acknowledging that I am biased), I think Illinois has provided clear proof so far that we should be ranked ahead of the following:

#8 Creighton: They started at #8, and they dropped to #15 after getting destroyed by Colorado State - the only decent team they have played all year. They have regained their top 8 ranking because ... they beat Nebraska by a lot??
#10 Gonzaga: We are both 7-2, and they just lost to a previously 5-3 Washington team. The Zags' claims to fame are beating a fringe top 25 USC team that is falling apart (now at 5-4 with a loss to Long Beach State at home...) and keeping its loss to Purdue within 10...?
#13 Clemson: Literally here because they are undefeated, but their SOS has not been as good as ours. They jumped from #24 to #13 and passed the Illini for beating two unranked teams this week...? Bewildering choice.
#14 Kentucky: We are both 7-2 and their best win was over #8 Miami (FL), a team that has stumbled to #24 now after getting worked by Colorado at home. They also have a loss to UNC-Wilmington at home ... I should not have to defend this opinion to anyone, haha.
#15 FAU: I won't even go into this one, lol.

So, if we moved up five spots, we would be #11. Which is the resume I think we have achieved so far.

Just keep winning! A lot of winnable games in front of us, and we have an opportunity to keep rising. We are currently #18 in the NET Rankings, so this is a nice opportunity to get on a winning streak (NET Rankings used below):

vs. #119 Colgate (Quad 3)
vs. #91 Missouri (St. Louis, MO) [Quad 2]
vs. #287 Fairleigh Dickinson (Quad 4)
vs. #47 (AP #25) Northwestern (Quad 2)

I know NU is a good team and Braggin' Rights is always intense, but I think we should go 4-0 here. At that point, we would be heading into Mackey Arena on January 4th with an 11-2 record and likely an AP ranking of #10 or so to face what is almost certain to be a top 5 Purdue team.
Click to expand...
Simple reason for the AP Poll doing what it does, you do much more research than most of the voters.

Thanks for all you do!
 
#15      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
Second place is 1st loser said:
Both Northwestern and Missouri are games that I never feel "good" about for no other reason than we've been awful against Mizzou the last two years and NW has been a struggle, regardless of where the game is played.
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Agreed to some extent, but I have to point out that it's only been one year (at least in a row) that we have been awful against Mizzou at Braggin' Rights. I attended my first Braggin' Rights Game two years ago and have been to both of the last two; they could not have been more different affairs, haha.

2021-22: Illinois 88, Missouri 63. The only real time it seemed like a decent game was when Mizzou cut our lead to 31-25 with 4:06 to go in the first half. However, a 9-0 Illini run was capped off by a Frazier three, and it was never close again. 40-26 at half time, and it was 79-42 with 7:16 to go in the second half before we called off the dogs.

2022-23: Missouri 93, Illinois 71. What a different experience as a fan, lol. A layup from Dainja with 14:05 to go in the first half was our last lead ... 12-10. Mizzou then went on a 20-2 run to go up 30-14 with 6:27 to go in the first half, and they led 51-27 at half time. Every time we would show a sign of life, it seemed like Mizzou would hit a dagger of a three pointer from the corner. Eventually it got to 76-41 with 12:14 to go, at which point I think all of the Illini fans and Mizzou fans doubled their alcohol intake for opposite reasons, lol. Let this sink in ... we won the second half 44-42 and lost the game by 22 points. A straight-up whoopin'.

There was a small part of me that was sad that our first ever Braggin' Rights in December 2021 had us just demolish a crappy Missouri team, with the Mizzou side of the crowd maybe 30% full. I selfishly was looking forward to a more even game in December 2022, and I was indeed excited to see both sides full and loud when the game started (especially due to the weather). But things like atmosphere and pageantry don't matter when you get embarrassed, haha ... we better be out for blood this year.
 
#18      

Fighter of the Nightman

Fighter of the Nightman
Chicago, IL
Fighter of the Nightman
OT, but I was reminded of this when referencing my Braggin' Rights experience. I always used to hear semi-legendary stories about how rowdy this event would get back in the days where you couldn't buy beer in college arenas, so an event like Braggin' Rights or our United Center game were the only opportunities to drink a beer and watch the Illini in person. I figured with beer now widely available at college arenas (including SFC) this would have normalized a bit ... no way, lol. I say this as a good/fun thing, but I have never seen such a drunk group of adults on both sides as at Braggin' Rights, haha. Combined with the split crowd, fans dressed in Santa/Christmas attire and the overall pre-Christmas theme of the rivalry, it really is an atmosphere that you cannot describe to someone who has never been. My wife was beside herself laughing at the number of absolutely hammered (but functional!) people around us and how much fun everyone was having. :ROFLMAO:

I highly, highly, highly recommend that every Illini fan gets to this event at least once. I literally cannot imagine how epic the atmosphere was during some of these years where both teams were ranked and the game went down to the final minute.
 
#19      

21ChampaignSt

21ChampaignSt
21ChampaignSt
Fighter of the Nightman said:
OT, but I was reminded of this when referencing my Braggin' Rights experience. I always used to hear semi-legendary stories about how rowdy this event would get back in the days where you couldn't buy beer in college arenas, so an event like Braggin' Rights or our United Center game were the only opportunities to drink a beer and watch the Illini in person. I figured with beer now widely available at college arenas (including SFC) this would have normalized a bit ... no way, lol. I say this as a good/fun thing, but I have never seen such a drunk group of adults on both sides as at Braggin' Rights, haha. Combined with the split crowd, fans dressed in Santa/Christmas attire and the overall pre-Christmas theme of the rivalry, it really is an atmosphere that you cannot describe to someone who has never been. My wife was beside herself laughing at the number of absolutely hammered (but functional!) people around us and how much fun everyone was having. :ROFLMAO:

I highly, highly, highly recommend that every Illini fan gets to this event at least once. I literally cannot imagine how epic the atmosphere was during some of these years where both teams were ranked and the game went down to the final minute.
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Lol I second this. Pretty wild atmosphere...before, during, and after the game. Of course, the vibe afterwards is about a billion times better when we win.
 
#20      

IMPE Legend

I
IMPE Legend
theNewGuy said:
It seem like most of the voters are competent and have us ahead or very close to FAU. only 9/48 (19%) of voters have us lower than 20
There are a couple people that I have questions about tho...
David Jablonski and Luke DeCock must have just completely forgot we play basketball because they left us completely off.
Click to expand...

Where do you find the list of how people voted? Very interesting. I'd like to hear these 2 defend their picks when a team that is 16th doesn't make their top 25.
 
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