CHAMPAIGN – It’s been a renaissance for the Fighting Illini men’s basketball program as the expectations are once again high for the reigning Big Ten regular season champions.
Further proof of that came on Monday when the Associated Press had Illinois among their best ahead of the start of the 2022-2023 campaign.
Brad Underwood’s team is ranked 23rd in the preseason poll, marking the third-straight year in which they’ve been there to begin a season. That is the longest streak from the program since they were in the first poll for three straight years from 2004 through 2006.
The ranking comes despite the fact that Illinois lost a number of key players last year, including Kofi Cockburn, Trent Frazier, Alfonso Plummer, Da’Monte Williams, Jacob Grandison, and Andre Curbelo.
But the team has added a number of talented players freshman, including guard Terrence Shannon Jr. (Texas Tech), guard/forward Matthew Mayer (Baylor), along with four-star recruits Skyy Clark and Jayden Epps.
Underwood has led the Illini to two-straight NCAA Tournament appearances and it would have been three had the pandemic not canceled the 2020 event. Before that, the program hasn’t been to “March Madness” since the 2012-2013 season.
Illinois opens play first with an exhibition against Quincy at the State Farm Center on Friday, October 28th before opening the regular season against Eastern Illinois at home on Monday, November 7th.
Here is the entire AP Top 25 men’s basketball preseason poll:
1. North Carolina
2. Gonzaga
3. Houston
4. Kentucky
T5. Baylor
T5. Kansas
7. Duke
8. UCLA
9. Creighton
10. Arkansas
11. Tennessee
12. Texas
13. Indiana
14. TCU
15. Auburn
16. Villanova
17. Arizona
18. Virginia
19. San Diego State
20. Alabama
21. Oregon
22. Michigan
23. Illinois
24. Dayton
25. Texas Tech
