It was a difficult week for Illinois and shows in the latest AP poll
The Illini took a tumble in the latest rankings on Monday, dropping from No. 17 to No. 24 after back-to-back losses.
In the first loss, Illinois played then-No. 4 Purdue to a double-overtime thriller, led by the heroics of Andre Curbelo in his first game in two months. But in that MLK Day matinee, Kofi Cockburn ended up with a concussion, which kept him out of Friday’s game at Maryland, as the Terps avenged a loss earlier this month with a 81-65 win.