NCAA Basketball: Tennessee, Baylor, Illinois rise in latest top 25 power rankings
By Joey Loose
10. Illinois (19-6)
There have been some missteps this season, notably Terrence Shannon Jr.’s off-court decision-making, but the Fighting Illini can’t complain about their current position. Illinois has some nice wins and some tough losses and are right in the thick of things, sitting pretty in second place in the Big Ten. How would they respond after a rough road loss in East Lansing last weekend?
They’d respond in style, pulling away for a 97-68 blowout win over Michigan back on Tuesday, completing another sweep of the Wolverines. Shannon was marvelous with 31 points in his best performance since his return from suspension. Saturday’s game was more important, as Illinois avenged an upset loss from January with an 85-80 road win at Maryland. Shannon led the pack with 27 points while Marcus Domask added 19 points and 12 rebounds.
A perfect week gets Illinois back on track, now 10-4 in the Big Ten. Their offense has really been clicking for most of the season, especially now that they have all of their starters playing cohesively. This Illinois team certainly isn’t infallible, but can you name a more consistent team in this league outside of Purdue? A relatively easier stretch awaits the Illini, who head to Penn State before hosting Iowa over the weekend.