It has been a while since the Illini have donned the top 25. But “a while” is all relative now. A while a couple of months ago would have been a half-decade. A while now is two weeks. Yes, this is the first time Illinois has been ranked since February 17. It has felt like an eternity.
The new AP Top 25 poll has Illinois checking in at No. 23. This comes after the Illini had a 3-0 week that featured them beating Nebraska on Monday, Northwestern on the road on Thursday and then finishing off with a victory over Indiana at home on Sunday.