Michigan State is 16-2 overall, 7-0 in the Big Ten and, at this point, projected to win what would be Tom Izzo's 11th regular-season conference championship.
But the best team in the Big Ten?
That's Illinois, according to the NET, KenPom.com and BartTorvik.com — even after Thursday's 91-70 loss at home to Maryland that dropped the Illini to 13-6 overall, 5-4 in the league. And that's why even if the Illini don't get a top-4 seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament — Jerry Palm has them projected as a 5-seed right now — Brad Underwood's team will likely be a popular pick to advance deep into the bracket.
Thursday was a mess, though.
Illinois was without Tomislav Ivisic, a 7-foot-1 center who was sidelined with strep throat. He's second on the team in scoring at 13.0 points per game and first on the team in rebounding at 8.5 boards per contest. His absence left a big hole in the middle that Maryland exploited well with Julian Reese and Derik Queen.
Reese, a 6-foot-9 senior, finished with 27 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks. Queen, a 6-foot-10 freshman, added 25 points, six rebounds and three steals.
"Brad had to go small [without Ivisic]," said Maryland coach Kevin Willard. "And you just can't go small against us."
Illinois is down to No. 19 in Friday morning's updated CBS Sports Top 25 And 1 daily college basketball rankings, where Auburn remains No. 1 for the 17th straight day. The Illini will return to the court Sunday, when they host Northwestern inside the State Farm Center.
Top 25 And 1 rankings
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Tahaad Pettiford finished with 24 points and two steals in Saturday's 70-68 win at Georgia. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Tennessee. | -- | 17-1 |
| 2 |  | Cooper Flagg finished with 28 points and five rebounds in Saturday's 88-63 win at Boston College. The Blue Devils' next game is Saturday at Wake Forest. | -- | 16-2 |
| 3 |  | Joshua Jefferson finished with 30 points and four steals in Tuesday's 108-83 win over UCF. The Cyclones' next game is Saturday at Arizona State. | -- | 16-2 |
| 4 |  | Mark Sears finished with 21 points and seven assists in Tuesday's 103-87 win over Vanderbilt. The Crimson Tide's next game is Saturday against LSU. | -- | 16-3 |
| 5 |  | Will Richard finished with 22 points and four rebounds in Wednesday's 70-69 win at South Carolina. The Gators' next game is Saturday against Georgia. | -- | 17-2 |
| 6 |  | Chaz Lanier finished with 23 points and two steals in Tuesday's 68-56 win over Mississippi State. The Vols' next game is Saturday at Auburn. | -- | 17-2 |
| 7 |  | Andrew Carr was 1 of 4 from the field in Saturday's 102-97 loss to Alabama. The Wildcats' next game is Saturday at Vanderbilt. | -- | 14-4 |
| 8 |  | Kam Jones finished with 19 points and four assists in Tuesday's 76-59 win at Seton Hall. The Golden Eagles' next game is Friday against Villanova. | -- | 17-3 |
| 9 |  | Tre Holloman finished with 17 points and two rebounds in Sunday's 80-78 win over Illinois. The Spartans' next game is Saturday at Rutgers. | -- | 16-2 |
| 10 |  | Hunter Dickinson finished with 16 points and nine rebounds in Wednesday's 74-61 win at TCU. The Jayhawks' next game is Saturday against Houston. | -- | 14-4 |
| 11 |  | TJ Bamba finished with 21 points and four steals in Tuesday's 82-71 win over Washington. The Ducks' next game is Saturday at Minnesota. | -- | 16-3 |
| 12 |  | Riley Kugel was 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 68-56 loss at Tennessee. The Bulldogs' next game is Saturday at South Carolina. | -- | 15-4 |
| 13 |  | Braden Smith was 3 of 12 from the field in Tuesday's 73-70 loss to Ohio State. The Boilermakers' next game is Friday against Michigan. | -- | 16-5 |
| 14 |  | Zhuric Phelps finished with 14 points and six rebounds in Wednesday's 63-62 win at Ole Miss. The Aggies' next game is Saturday at Texas. | -- | 15-4 |
| 15 |  | PJ Haggerty finished with 22 points and four steals in Thursday's 61-53 win over Wichita State. The Tigers' next game is Sunday against UAB. | 1 | 15-4 |
| 16 |  | Milos Uzan finished with 14 points and five assists in Wednesday's 70-36 win over Utah. The Cougars' next game is Saturday at Kansas. | 1 | 15-3 |
| 17 |  | Davon Barnes was 1 of 7 from the field in Wednesday's 63-62 loss to Texas A&M. The Rebels' next game is Saturday at Missouri. | 1 | 15-4 |
| 18 |  | Vladislav Goldin finished with 31 points and eight rebounds in Sunday's 80-76 overtime win over Northwestern. The Wolverines' next game is Friday at Purdue. | 1 | 14-5 |
| 19 |  | Jake Davis was 1 of 5 from the field in Thursday's 91-70 loss to Maryland. The Illini's next game is Sunday against Northwestern. | 4 | 13-6 |
| 20 |  | Solo Ball finished with 23 points and six rebounds in Tuesday's 80-78 overtime win over Butler. The Huskies' next game is Saturday at Xavier. | -- | 14-5 |
| 21 |  | John Blackwell committed four turnovers before fouling out in Tuesday's 85-83 loss at UCLA. The Badgers' next game is Sunday against Nebraska. | -- | 15-4 |
| 22 |  | Mark Mitchell was 1 of 7 from the field in Tuesday's 61-53 loss at Texas. The Tigers' next game is Saturday against Ole Miss. | -- | 15-4 |
| 23 |  | Kadary Richmond finished with 19 points and seven rebounds in Wednesday's 79-71 win over Xavier. The Red Storm's next game is Tuesday at Georgetown. | -- | 17-3 |
| 24 |  | Reyne Smith finished with 30 points and three rebounds in Tuesday's 98-73 win at SMU. The Cardinals' next game is Tuesday against Wake Forest. | -- | 15-5 |
| 25 |  | JT Toppin finished with 20 points and seven rebounds in Tuesday's 81-71 win at Cincinnati. The Red Raiders' next game is Sunday against Oklahoma State. | -- | 14-4 |
| 26 |  | Chase Hunter finished with 23 points and three steals in Wednesday's 86-72 win over Syracuse. The Tigers' next game is Saturday at Virginia Tech. | -- | 16-4 |
