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 night’s 91-70 loss at home to Maryland that dropped the Illini to 13-6 overall (5-4 Big Ten). And that’s among the reasons 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 night 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 rebounds 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’ll host Northwestern inside the State Farm Center.
