NCAA Basketball: Florida, UConn, Dayton rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
25. Illinois (7-3)
Last season saw Illinois advance to the Elite Eight but this season looks very different. The Illini are leaning heavily on some new young pieces and the results have been significant, with that Thanksgiving win over Arkansas really standing out on their early resume. Coming off last week’s tough overtime loss at Northwestern, the Illini were looking for results this week and got a mixed bag.
Tuesday became their first Big Ten win of the season, as Illinois defended their homecourt with an 86-80 win against Wisconsin. It was another stellar night from Kasparas Jakucionis, as the star freshman had 24 points and 6 rebounds while Tre White added 23 points and 8 rebounds. They had a bigger opportunity on Saturday and fell just short against #1 Tennessee, losing 66-64 on a last-second shot. Both offenses significantly struggled, though Jakucionis had 22 points in the loss.
Those finishes against Northwestern and Tennessee are really biting the Illini. Imagine where this team would be with those wins, especially with how insane Jakucionis has been playing in recent weeks. However, they have to quickly put those tough endings behind them, especially with Big Ten play on the horizon. The next game isn’t for over a week but it’s the highly-anticipated Braggin’ Rights game against Missouri in St. Louis.