Illinois moves to No. 20 in latest AP Poll

After splitting a pair of games this week at home against Minnesota and on the road at Iowa, the Fighting Illini slide down one spot to No. 20 in this week’s rankings.

This makes the fourth consecutive week for Illinois in the top 25, with four more games against ranked opponents in the coming days.

Illinois rode a seven-game Big Ten win streak into Iowa City on Sunday before falling to the Hawkeyes, 72-65, marking its first loss since Jan. 2.

With just one game on the schedule this week against No. 9 Maryland at home on Friday, the Illini have another opportunity to continue rising in the polls and playing themselves into a top-4 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

The Big Ten race is sure to get more interesting as the final month of conference play winds down. A Feb. 11 rematch against the No. 16 Michigan State Spartans also looms on the horizon.

Will the Illini be ranked higher at this time next week? Let us know!