Illinois climbs to No. 19 in latest Associated Press Top-25 poll
Illinois men’s basketball strength and condition coach Adam Fletcher and freshmen centers Kofi Cockburn and Jermaine Hamlin watch from the bench during Illinois’ game at Purdue in West Lafayette, Ind. The Illini won 79-62, coining their first victory at Mackey Arena since 2008. Photo taken by Jonathan Bonaguro.
January 27, 2020
Illinois (15-5; 7-2) climbed two spots in the latest Associated Press top-25 college basketball poll to No. 19 after winning back-to-back road matches at Purdue and Michigan this week.
The Illini, who ascended from the No. 21 spot last week, are among six Big Ten teams to break into this week’s top-25 including No. 14 Michigan State (15-5; 7-2), No. 15 Maryland (16-4; 6-3), No. 18 Iowa (14-5; 5-3), No. 24 Penn State (14-5; 4-4) and No. 25 Rutgers (15-5; 6-3).
Last week, Illinois not only stretched its winning streak to six games but also took sole possession of the lead in the Big Ten following Michigan State’s loss to an unranked Indiana team, marking the first time the Illini have led the conference since 2006. Illinois also won its first game at Purdue’s Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana, since 2008 and clinched the program’s first victory in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since February 2010.
The No. 19 Illini will host the Minnesota Golden Gophers at the State Farm Center on Thursday. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m.
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