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A 1-1 week wasn’t good enough for Illinois to hold its spot in the rankings.
The Illini dropped to No. 13 in the latest Associated Press poll released on Monday morning.
Last week, Illinois went on the road and beat Duke for the first time this millennium, but then laid an egg in the Braggin’ Rights matchup in Columbia, losing to Missouri by three points. It’s been a weird start (4-2) for Illinois as it tries to get its footing this year.
The good news? The Illini are still being respected nationally, as is the rest of the Big Ten, which still boasts two top-five teams in Iowa and Michigan State.
Conference play gets going this week as the Illini have games scheduled against Minnesota and Rutgers. Tuesday’s matchup against the Gophers should give the Illini a chance to find themselves again before a top-25 matchup with the Scarlet Knights on Sunday.