NCAA Basketball: Reevaluating preseason top 25 power rankings of 2022-23 season

23. Illinois (20-13, 9-seed, Lost in Round of 64)

We entered this season unsure exactly what to expect from the Fighting Illini, who had lost nearly all of their talent from last season, a second straight year with a disappointing end in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Brad Underwood didn’t sit on his hands, bringing in a plethora of new faces through the Transfer Portal and in recruiting, and had a team expected to contend for the Big Ten this year.

The pieces melded together somewhat decently and Illinois picked up huge early wins over UCLA and Texas. Highly-touted point guard Skyy Clark stepped away from the program, while leading scorer Terrence Shannon Jr., a transfer from Texas Tech, missed time during the season. The Illini lost their first three Big Ten games but won seven of eight in January to get back into the hunt. However, they did not win a game away from home after January, falling unceremoniously in the Big Ten Tournament and in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in a tough performance against Arkansas.

With the sheer overturn of this roster, growing pains were expected, but this Illinois team never really meshed. They were truly a Jekyll and Hyde experience where this team looked like it could beat anyone in the nation, but also seemed to play down to some of their opponents, including in three losses to Penn State. The Illini did reach the NCAA Tournament for a third straight season but lost in underwhelming fashion in the Big Dance for a third straight year as well, and now face major questions about next year’s roster.