Illinois basketball fell three spots to No. 12 in the newest USA TODAY Network coaches poll, released Sunday, March 15.
Illinois (24-8, 15-5 Big Ten) ended its regular season with a loss in the quarterfinals of the Big Ten Conference Tournament. The Illini begin NCAA Tournament play with an 8:25 p.m. Thursday opening round game against Penn.
The Illini are one of six Big Ten teams ranked in the poll. Illinois is behind No. 3 Michigan and No. 11 Michigan State, and ahead of No. 13 Purdue, No. 14 Nebraska and No. 20 Wisconsin.
Illinois basketball goes 0-1 last week
- Wisconsin 91, Illinois 88 (OT): Illinois bowed out of the Big Ten Conference Tournament following its second overtime loss to Wisconsin. The Illini led by 15 midway through the second half before giving up a 33-18 burst by Badgers in the final 10:39. Keaton Wagler (19 points), David Mirkovic (19 points) and Andrej Stojakovic (17 points) scored in double figures for Illinois. Nick Boyd (38 points) and John Blackwell (31) led Wisconsin.
Illinois basketball schedule this week
- Thursday, March 19: 8:25 p.m. vs. Penn, Bon Secours Wellness Arena, Greenville, S.C. (NCAA Tournament)
Illinois KenPom rankings: No. 7 | Last week: No. 5
All rankings entering Monday.
- Offensive efficiency: No. 2
- Defensive efficiency: No. 28
Illinois Net rankings: No. 8 | Last week: No. 6
All rankings entering Monday.
- Quad 1 record: 7-8
- Quad 2 record: 5-0
- Quad 3 record: 7-0
- Quad 4 record: 5-0
USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll for March 15
Poll as of March 15, 2026. First-place votes in parentheses.
- Duke (26)
- Arizona (5)
- Michigan
- Florida
- Houston
- Iowa State
- UConn
- Virginia
- St. John’s
- Gonzaga
- Michigan State
- Illinois
- Purdue
- Nebraska
- Arkansas
- Vanderbilt
- Kansas
- Alabama
- Texas Tech
- Wisconsin
- North Carolina
- Saint Mary’s
- Miami (FL)
- Louisville
- Tennessee
Others receiving votes
Miami (OH) 36; UCLA 31; Utah State 23; BYU 14; Villanova 11; Saint Louis 7; VCU 5; South Florida 1; Santa Clara 1; Ohio State 1; Akron 1.
Who votes in the college basketball coaches poll?
The USA TODAY Sports Board of Coaches is made up of 31 head coaches at Division I institutions. All are members of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The board for the 2025-26 season: Adrian Autry, Syracuse; John Becker, Vermont; Randy Bennett, Saint Mary’s; Jeff Boals, Ohio; Alvin Brooks, Lamar; Pat Chambers, Florida Gulf Coast; Scott Drew, Baylor; Dan Earl, Chattanooga; Jonas Hayes, Georgia State; Donte’ Jackson, Alabama A&M; Ben Jacobson, Northern Iowa; James Jones, Yale; Greg Kampe, Oakland; Eric Konkol, Tulsa; Brad Korn, Southeast Missouri State; Anthony Latina, Sacred Heart; Jim Les, UC Davis; Greg McDermott, Creighton; Nick McDevitt, Middle Tennessee; Mike McGarvey, Lafayette; Dan Monson, Eastern Washington; Chris Mooney, Richmond; Mike Morrell, UNC Asheville; Nate Oats, Alabama; Eric Olen, New Mexico; Matt Painter, Purdue; Paul Sather, North Dakota; Patrick Sellers, Central Connecticut State; Zach Spiker, Drexel; Brett Tanner, Abilene Christian; Stan Waterman, Delaware State.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: After tough loss, Illinois basketball prepares for Penn in NCAA tournament