CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — The winter sports on the hardwood at the University of Illinois is shaping up to be a good one. The national media (AP) has tabbed both the men's and women's basketball teams in their preseason top 25.
On Monday afternoon, Oct. 16, the men checked in at number 25; early Tuesday, Oct. 17, the women came in at 23 nationally.
For Brad Underwood's men's crew, it is the fourth consecutive year his team entered the top 25. That is the first time ever in the men's program. Illinois started at number 8 in 2020-21, number 11 in 2021-22, and number 23 in 2022-23.
The Big Ten only had three men's teams in this year's ranking: along with the Illini, the Purdue Boilermakers came in at third and the Michigan State Spartans at fourth.
On the women's side of things, the conference has five ranked in the new poll.
Illinois is the only conference school to have both men's and women's teams ranked nationally.
Former Clinton River King prep, now the head coach of the Fighting Illini women's program, Shauna Green’s program broke over 14 different records last season. This ranking is another "first time since 1999" for Illinois. This year's preseason ranking is the first time in 24 years the women’s team has embarked on this remarkable feat.
Green's squad returns all five starters from last year's NCAA Tournament team. Illinois was one of only three conference teams to beat the national runner-up Iowa Hawkeyes, 90-86.
"We're trying to build a national program. We accomplished a lot of good things last year; we don't want to forget about that, but now it's time to move forward," Green said.
As a side note, the Illinois football program picked up its first conference win of the season at College Park, Maryland, on Saturday, Oct. 14. That victory earned two Illinois players awards this week from the Big Ten conference:
Defensive Player of the Week: Outside Linebacker Seth Coleman
Freshman of the Week: Kaden Feagin
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