By IlliniGuys Staff

December 2, 2024

The Illinois men's basketball team is back in the Associated Press Top 25 this week, coming in at #19. The Illini debuted at #25 in the poll two weeks ago, but fell out after losing to then-8th ranked Alabama 100-87 on a neutral court in Birmingham.

But a blowout 92-34 win over Little Rock last Monday night followed by a convincing 90-77 upset of 19th ranked Arkansas on Thanksgiving Day convinced enough media voters to include them among the nation's elite.

The Illini began this season unranked after finishing 6th in 2023-24. They will resume play Friday night when they travel to Evanston for their Big Ten opener at Northwestern (8pm, BTN).

Meanwhile, the Illini women fell two spots to #21 in their AP poll after suffering their first loss of the season to then-14th ranked Kentucky 76-53 Wednesday night in Nashville.

It's their fourth straight week in the AP poll, their longest run since a 13-week stretch during the 1999-2000 season.

They play at Canisius College this afternoon (5pm CT, ESPN+).

With the Illinois football team ranked 21st this week, it marks the third time that all three programs have been in the AP Top 25 at once. The trio first did it in January, 2000 and again two weeks ago.

More info and updates on all Illini programs in the IlliniGuys.com message forums.