After stumbling through a 3-5 patch, Illinois (17-9, 9-7 Big Ten) seemed to finally be getting back into a rhythm with back-to-back wins over Minnesota and UCLA.

Nearly fully healthy and having built some momentum, the Illini welcomed No. 11 Michigan State to Champaign on Saturday for a matchup in which Illinois seemed to have the upper hand.

Despite their healthy AP ranking, the Spartans had lost three of their past four. Meanwhile, the Illini were ranked higher than MSU in both KenPom and the NET – and by a fairly large margin in each metric.

Toss in home-court advantage, and Illinois was expected to take down Michigan State. And after leaping out to a 31-15 lead, the Illini appeared poised to do just that.

But after Tom Izzo’s squad clawed its way back into the contest, the two teams began trading scores throughout the second half – until Illinois crumbled. Behind a scoreless final 8:29 and 19 straight missed field goals, the Illini eventually fell 79-65.

With that loss, any buzz and excitement around Illinois’ recent surge vanished. And the most recent AP poll told that story, as the Illini were fifth in “others receiving votes” – their lowest spot since Dec. 9.

But not all of the college basketball world is down on Illinois.

In fact, the NCAA’s Andy Katz has the Illini at No. 23, actually moving them up three spots from last week’s rankings. 

Clearly high on the Big Ten as a whole, Katz slotted seven teams from the conference in his top 25, including two in the top 10. Meanwhile, today’s AP poll features just five Big Ten squads, none of which landed in the top 10.

Fortunately for Illinois, it’ll have multiple opportunities to climb up Katz’s rankings and the AP poll, and most importantly, impress the NCAA Tournament committee during this upcoming week.

First, on Tuesday, the Illini head north to Madison for a matchup with No. 11 Wisconsin. After taking down the Badgers in December, Illinois is seeking to complete the season sweep. Then, the Illini head to the Big Apple for a showdown with No. 3 Duke at Madison Square Garden.

Winning either contest, let alone both, would not only launch Illinois up the polls but serve as a confidence-booster for a squad that is in desperate of one.

All of the Big Ten teams in Katz’s Power 37:

No. 24: UCLA

No. 23: Illinois

No. 18: Michigan State

No. 15: Purdue

No. 11: Maryland

No. 7: Michigan

No. 6 Wisconsin

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