12. Illinois (10-3)
Much of this roster is very different than last year’s team that advanced to the Elite Eight, but perhaps just having Brad Underwood as head coach was saying enough. The new faces in Champaign are doing great things and this past week was proof of that. A team that already had nice wins over Alabama, Wisconsin, and Missouri has proven that they can hang with any team; and this week showed that maybe they can hang 100 on any team.
Sunday’s action wasn’t a surprise, with Illinois dealing against Chicago State in a 117-64 blowout performance. Tomislav Ivisic had 23 points and was one of six Illini in double-figures as the team shot 62% from the field. Thursday night was a much different story, as Illinois had a historic performance in a 109-77 road upset over a Top 10 Oregon squad. Tre White had 20 points and 11 rebounds, Ben Humrichous had 18 points, and this entire team brought the heat against the Ducks for a stunning road win.
The Fighting Illini scored 226 points in two games this week and pulled off one of the most shocking results with that domination in Eugene. This team is deep and prosperous, with future lottery pick Kasparas Jakucionis barely factoring early in that win while others like White and Humrichous emerged again. There’s no time to let your guard down in the Big Ten, though Illinois’ three games ahead are all very winnable against Washington, Penn State, and USC.