Should Illinois be Ranked Higher?

By all accounts, this season has been a giant surprise for Illinois basketball. After a 13-18 record last season and the loss of two of their "best" players, hopes were not high for Illinois. Then they won 13 of their first 14 games and everyone thought this team might be decent.

Now we are certain that this is a good team, that can combine fantastic defense of the past few seasons with a more balanced, efficient offense. In fact, the Illini sit in second place in the Big Ten with 21 wins against 5 losses. This is great for Illinois fans; so great that they may be overlooking something fans are typically very wary of: a lack of respect.

A lot of the teams ahead of the Illini are very good, and it's hard to argue for one over the other, but a couple things stand out when you take a look at the top 25. First, Illinois has one more loss than Missouri, yet the Illini beat the Tigers earlier in the year at a neutral site by 16 points. Mizzou also stacks their resume with losses to Kansas State and Nebraska. Nebraska!

The second problem I have is that Michigan State is ranked so damn far ahead of the Illini. They're number five! Michigan State is a good team, probably the best in the Big Ten, but they aren't top five good if Illinois is out of the top 15. We're talking about a team that lost by 22 to Maryland, lost by...wait for it...35 to North Carolina in Detroit, and lost to Penn State and Northwestern at home. They beat two Big 12 teams that are both ranked below Missouri, and aside from the two terrible losses have been solid in conference play, including a six point win in East Lansing against the Illini.

Illinois' schedule is not as tough as Michigan State's according to RPI numbers, but a close loss to Clemson and a win over Missouri look as good as anything on MSU's out of conference resume.

I'm not saying Illinois is better than Michigan State, and I wouldn't dare put out my own version of the top 25 because somehow I've become a cynical college basketball fan that thinks there are only a few good teams in the country, but all of this information leads me to the conclusion that either Michigan State and Missouri are severely overrated, or because they have exceeded the "experts'" expectations, Illinois has become the victim of a blatant lack of respect.

Statement Week For Illinois Basketball

Remember when Illinois lost a record 19 games last season? I don't. Especially after the past 8 days. Even though the team was 10-1 I was skeptical. They hadn't beaten anyone I had heard of, and the one chance they had to play someone decent (Clemson), they lost. It looked like Illinois was going to be a good defensive Big Ten team fighting for that last Big Ten NCAA berth come March.

Well that has all changed in the last week. Two enormous nationally televised wins against Mizzou and Purdue have put the Illini on the national radar. Are the Illini the best team in the Big Ten? Probably not, but they are legitimate contenders. In a conference known for low road winning percentages, Illinois showed a lot of toughness winning in overtime in West Lafayette last night.

This team has the elements to successfully execute Bruce Weber's three guard quasi-motion pick-roll offense. Four players are averaging 12 points and Chester Frazier is finally becoming the pass-first point guard who takes care of the ball that the Illini need. This balanced and efficient offense is the perfect complement to what has been a lights out defensive team. The weaknesses in the backcourt mostly consisted of an inability to score and McCamey's lackadaisical defensive approach. Well both of those problems seem to have evaporated. It also looks like Alex Legion will be a big contributor on both ends of the court as he slowly earns more minutes. Davis and Tisdale, thought to be too inexperienced and soft, have proven that they are anything but. Both look like they will be solid contributors and showed last night that they can defend the paint as well as any of the big boys in the Big Ten.

All that being said, I am getting a little ahead of myself. The Big Ten is no joke, and even though it is not very strong at the top, it is a solid conference and the road will not be easy. Teams like Wisconsin, Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue, and the emergence of Tubby Smith's Gophers will all be tough Ws. Regardless, Illinois has shown it can play tough on the road against the cream of the crop.

A 4 seed? A 5 seed? Maybe that's dreaming, but it is a real possibility. Thank god the Big Ten schedule started, I was getting bored of watching Illinois play Tulane, Hawaii and Eastern Michigan.