It took nearly two months for Illinois to get their names back in the AP poll — and it could have been on the verge of disappearing after 40 minutes in Lincoln, Nebraska.
After a six-week absence in the polls, No. 25 Illinois held off a pesky Nebraska team in Lincoln at Pinnacle Bank Arena on Tuesday, as the Illini pulled away late to win 81-71.
Illinois head coach Brad Underwood preached on Monday that winning on the road in the Big Ten is a challenge regardless of who you play. The Illini got all they could handle last season when they traveled to Nebraska, edging the Cornhuskers in overtime.