Illinois is entering the second week of the young season even higher than the first.
The Illini jumped up to No. 5 in the latest Associated Press top-25 poll on Monday.
It was a struggling opening week for some of the nation’s top teams, with top-10 teams Villanova, Virginia and Kentucky all falling to unranked foes. Kansas also lost a shootout to No. 1 Gonzaga.
But the Illini, despite a nail-biter against Ohio, pressed all the right buttons.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Illinois had three games in its opening week multi-team event in Champaign.