Basketball season is here.
The AP Top 25 dropped its first poll of the season Monday morning, and Illinois found itself at No. 25.
It's Illinois’ first ranking since December, when the Illini were at No. 16. You'll probably remember that Illinois then lost to Missouri, and the wheels sort of fell off for a little bit.
The Illini have high hopes for this season, with Terrence Shannon Jr. and Coleman Hawkins both returning for one more season in Champaign, plus a boatload of new additions in the 2023 class and through the transfer portal.
“We’re obviously older, we’re more mature, [and] we’re physical,” said head coach Brad Underwood recently at Illinois’ media day.