NCAA Basketball top 25 power rankings: UCLA and Kentucky rise, Kansas falls

22. Illinois (15-5)

For Illinois, winning games is obviously important, but being able to have both Kofi Cockburn and Andre Curbelo healthy and active at the same time would be even more vital. The Illini slipped a few times last week, though both of those players were injured or ineffective at times during those performances. The reigning Big Ten tournament champions are still waiting to get Curbelo back in the fold but had themselves a solid week nonetheless.

Without either of those stars, they got a huge 56-55 win against Michigan State during the week, getting a much-needed 16 points from Trent Frazier. Cockburn was back on Saturday, delivering 22 points in leading the Illini to a solid 59-56 road win against Northwestern. With these two wins, Illinois now sits at 8-2 in conference play, in sole possession of first place.

We have not yet seen this Illinois team at its best and yet they still lead a very competitive Big Ten. Unfortunately for the Illini, they’ll need Curbelo back pronto because the schedule takes a devastating turn in the coming weeks. Next week, the Illini host Wisconsin before heading to Indiana, with road dates against Michigan State and Purdue looming down the line as well. The Illini have shown that they can compete with anyone in this league, but can they win enough of these tough games to claim that conference crown?