On Nov. 11, Illinois men's basketball made a big statement by defeating Texas Tech 81-77. Then, Illinois was ranked No. 14 and Texas Tech was ranked No. 11.
Fast forward one week, and Illinois finds itself in the Top 10 of the AP rankings, per On3Sports.com. They are now the No. 8 team in the nation, and Texas Tech dropped to No. 14. Currently, the Illini are 4-0, with their latest win coming on Sunday, 84-65 over Colgate.
Illinois is set to take on No.9 Alabama on Wednesday. Currently, the Illini's top players include Tomislav Ivisic, Kylan Boswell, and David Mirkovic. Ivisic is averaging 21.0 points per game, Kylan Boswell is averaging 18.5 points per game, and Mirkovic is averaging 18.5 points per game as well.
Also, Ivisic is battling a knee injury sustained during a practice. Meanwhile, coach Brad Underwood recognizes that it is a complex matter.
Last year, the Illini finished with a record of 22-13 and a 12-8 record in the Big Ten. Ultimately, they lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament to Kentucky 85-74.
Brad Underwood has been the head coach at Illinois since 2017 and is in his ninth season. Previously, he was at the helm of Oklahoma State and Stephen F. Austin.
Earlier this year, Underwood signed a massive six-year contract extension with a starting salary of $4.4 million per year.
The last time Illinois was in the top 10
It was over twenty years ago when Illinois was in the top 10 in men's basketball. That was during the 2004-2005 season, when they finished 37-2 and reached the NCAA championship game.
In the end, they were defeated by North Carolina. That was also the last time Illinois made it to the Final Four.
Under Brad Underwood, he has compiled a 165-101 record. In 2021 and 2024, they won the Big Ten tournament. During the 2022 season, they won the Big Ten regular-season championships.
In 2024, they reached the Elite Eight.
